Downfall
by katie1999
Summary: A permanent injury ends Diego's role as Zorro. Unable to explain his injury he stays away from Los Angeles, abandoning his future with Victoria. Without Zorro's support Victoria can't withstand the alcalde's oppression, unable to go on. Will Diego be able to accept the love of Victoria and his father? Diego and Victoria realize how much they need each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Downfall**

_Disclaimer: This story was written solely for the enjoyment of other Zorro fans and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights held by Goodman/Rosen Productions, New World Television, Zorro Productions, the estate of Johnston McCulley or anyone else._

**Chapter 1**

"Where is Diego?" Victoria asked Alejandro when she approached his table to take his order.

Alejandro made a face. "As you can see, he is not here. I found a note today that he had to leave for the northern estates on urgent business. Urgent business? I don't know what he is doing there that can be so urgent to leave everything behind. He is wasting his time with his useless experiments instead of staying at home and helping me with the hacienda. He should get married and have a family instead!" Alejandro talked himself into a rage.

"Diego won't come today?" Victoria asked, disappointed. "He wanted to drive with me to the Indian settlement and help me deliver the contributions from the citizens. Do you know when he will be back?"

"How should I know, Victoria?" Alejandro said, angrily. "Whenever he goes to the northern estates, he always stays there for some time to work on his experiments, or whatever he does there. So, don't expect him to be back soon!"

"Yes, I know," Victoria bit her lip. "Please, ask Diego to come here when he returns."

Z Z Z

The next week Victoria met Alejandro only twice when he came for lunch to the tavern. When she asked about Diego, he only grew angry that he had been away for so long, and taken Felipe with him, knowing the boy had been looking foward to attending the bull auction in Santa Barbara with Alejandro.

Both were unaware of the fact that Diego wasn't wasting his time on experiments, but fighting for his life as a fever was threatening to overcome him. Felipe had completely forgotten the auction he had wanted to attend with Alejandro while he was sitting at Diego's bedside, praying for him to live.

Z Z Z

A week later Diego still hadn't returned, and Victoria waited each day for him to come to her tavern.

"Two tamales for Mendoza and one carne asada for Don Alejandro," Pilar brought the order into the kitchen.

"Don Alejandro is here?" Victoria asked, pleased, as she made the dishes ready to be served.

"Yes, he is," Pilar replied, "but no, before you ask again, Don Diego did not accompany him."

Victoria looked surprised at her helper. "Why do you say that?"

"Because every time Don Alejandro came into the tavern during the last two weeks, you have been asking for Don Diego. It looks like you're missing him a great deal."

"Well, he's my friend," Victoria replied, "I like talking to him."

"If he is only a friend why can't you be without him?" Pilar questioned her. "Every time someone enters the tavern, you are disappointed that it's not Diego. You're making his favorite dishes as though they might somehow tempt him to arrive at the tavern door. I think it's good Diego has been gone for a while. Now you realize how much he means to you!"

"Yes, Diego means a lot to me, but I'm in love with Zorro." Victoria replied.

"That's no excuse for the way you treat him, always comparing him to Zorro," Pilar chided her. "I can understand why Diego might stay away, seeing the way you and his father treat him."

Taking the dishes to serve the guests, Pilar left her in the kitchen.

As the days drew on, Victoria had to admit reluctantly that she loved Diego and that she missed him more with every day that passed. Why hadn't he returned? Was Pilar right? Had she hurt him so much that he'd rather stay away? Had she lost him just when she had realized her feelings for him? The thought made her feel sick.

She needed to talk to Diego and sort out her feelings for him. How could she love Diego when she loved Zorro too? She wished that Zorro would come to see her in the evening, as he had done so often in the recent weeks since they were engaged. As neither came to see her, she felt more and more lonely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

When Diego woke up, all he felt was pain. Someone was touching his arm. Blinking his eyes open, he made out the shape of Felipe, standing next to his bed.

"What happened, Felipe?" His throat was raw from lack of use.

"You were shot the last time you rode out as Zorro," Felipe explained, talking slowly. "Toronado found me, and I brought you here."

Diego remembered vaguely. As Zorro had been riding fast as the soldiers were chasing him and in the moonlight he could see another group coming from the right. When they had fired he had felt a searing pain in his right leg and shoulder.

He had managed to hold onto Toronado with his last strength, as the soldiers continued to chase him until he had reached the entrance of a small canyon that was hidden behind a boulder.

Unable to go on, he had dropped from his horse, feeling an intense pain in his right arm. "Go home, Toronado," he had ordered, "Get Felipe!" Then, he had lost consciousness.

While drifting in and out of consciousness, he had felt someone touching him, lifting him back on Toronado, and eventually the soft covers of a bed.

Z Z Z

"You have been very lucky, Señor," the doctor came into view. "By the time your brother called me, you had lost a lot of blood."

"How long?" Diego croaked.

"It has been about two weeks now. Your wounds became infected, and you were feverish or under pain killers most of the time." Doctor Rodriguez explained.

"I remember I fell on my arm, and there was pain..." Diego whispered.

"I did my best, but I'm sorry to say...your arm..."

"My arm?" Panicking, Diego felt for his arms. They were both there, and he breathed out, relieved. His left arm was a little stiff from lying on it, and the right one was wrapped up very tightly and fixed in a sling. That was probably the reason why he couldn't move it. "What about my arm?"

"In addition to being shot, you broke it when you fell from your horse. I fixed it as best as I could, but I have no great hope that it will be of much use again after the bones have mended."

Diego looked with horror at his right arm. He tried to move it, but it was wound too tightly, and he could wriggle the fingers only a little bit. "That can't be," he gasped, "I need my arm! I need it to fight!" Terrified, he started to think about the consequences if his arm remained stiff. "No, please, there must be something you can do," he begged with tears in his eyes.

"You should be happy that you're still alive, Señor," the doctor chided him. "You nearly died, and I wanted to cut your arm off, but your brother insisted that I should try to mend it instead. You nearly didn't survive the infection from it."

Diego said nothing and only stared at the doctor. "I understand that this is a shock for you. You will need time to come to terms with what has happened and learn to cope with your injury."

The doctor held out a glass of a liquid and made him drink. "You will need lots of rest and sleep to recover. I'll check on you tomorrow again."

The moment Diego had finished the glass he sank back into the covers again, falling asleep instantly.

Z Z Z

A week later, he had recovered enough to stay conscious for most of the day and to be able to leave the bed for some time. Diego felt helpless like never before. His injury and the fever had left him weak, but his arm bothered him the most. He was unable to eat and dress without someone helping him, and he knew that it would never be like before. His days as Zorro were over, and with that, all his dreams were shattered.

He sat down at his desk and picked up the pen. Fortunately, he was used to writing with his left hand and after formulating the words in his head, he slowly began to write. When he was finished, he folded the letter carefully with the help of a paperweight and placed it aside. Putting his head on the desk, he began to cry silently.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Unhappy, Victoria locked up the tavern before she went upstairs to bed. It had been another disappointing day. Felipe had accompanied Alejandro to the tavern today, but Diego had not been with them. When she had asked Felipe his whereabouts, the boy had signed that Diego was still busy in the north, and that he didn't know when he would return. Felipe seemed to be unhappy about it, but he couldn't explain what kept Diego from returning, either.

As she opened the door of her room, she saw an envelope on the floor. Someone must have slipped it under her door while she was busy in the tavern. _Victoria, _she read on the front and pulled out the sheet of paper.

_Dear Victoria, _

_For reasons I am unable to reveal to you, there will be no more Zorro, and I can't ask you to wait for me any longer. I wish it would be different, and I want you to know that I'll always love you._

_Z _

Victoria stared at the letter, unable to believe what it said. For a moment she didn't want to believe that the message was genuine, but she knew the handwriting and the style. Zorro had left her!

Crying, she threw herself on her bed, soaking her pillow with her tears until she fell into an exhausted sleep. It was late in the night when she woke up again, and she finally undressed and climbed back into bed. By the light of the candle she read the letter over and over again, trying to make sense of it. He had written that he loved her, so why had he set her free again? She was stunned that he would end things so unexpectedly when they had been so happy before.

She remembered the last time she had met him. It had been shortly after lunch three weeks ago. She had been about to lock the back door for siesta, having already barred the front, when she found him standing in her kitchen.

"Zorro! Why are you here? Is something wrong?"

"No, there is nothing wrong, except that I have been missing you in my arms!" He had smiled at her, and she had flung her arms around his neck to kiss him. "I have been missing you too, Zorro!"

He had laughed happily at her and stayed for some time, just to kiss and to hold her. She had wanted to keep him from leaving, offering him lunch, but he couldn't stay. "I already had lunch, Victoria, and I'd rather go hungry, for more kisses from you."

"You can get them anytime," she had smiled, and he had kissed her tenderly once more, before leaving over the roof.

All that was over? The thought of never being in his arms again, started a new flow of tears. "Zorro, what is keeping you from me? If you love me why don't you come back?"

Z Z Z

The next morning she tried not to show her grief and act as normal, but she didn't succeed. When she couldn't bear it any longer, she excused herself from her helpers and drove over to the de la Vega hacienda. "Victoria, what is wrong?" Alejandro asked, looking at her tear stained face, as he gently guided her to the library. "Take a seat, Victoria, and then tell me what has made you cry."

"Thank you, Don Alejandro," she sniffed, taking out her handkerchief to clean her nose. "I think you should read this." Victoria held out the letter.

"What's that?"

"It's a letter from Zorro."

"A letter from Zorro? Then, I don't think I should read it. It's a personal thing." Alejandro removed his hand without taking the letter.

"You can read it. It doesn't say much, and I thought maybe you or Diego could help me to figure it out."

Reluctantly, Alejandro took the letter and opened it to read the few lines it contained. "That's all, Victoria?"

She nodded. "Yes. I thought you should read it. He wrote that there will be no more Zorro, and that is something that affects the whole pueblo."

"This is indeed bad news, for the pueblo and especially for you, Victoria. No wonder that you have been crying! Is there something I can do for you?"

Victoria shook her head. "Except for bringing back Zorro?"

"I'm afraid that's not in my power." Alejandro apologized.

"Where is Diego, Don Alejandro?" Victoria inquired. "Is he still at the northern estates? When will he come back?"

"I don't know, Victoria. Diego keeps his own timetable," Alejandro explained. "I asked Felipe, but he didn't have an answer, either."

"Diego is longer than usual at the northern estates. What is he doing there so long?" Victoria inquired. "I have a new article written for my column, and he wanted to put it in his next edition of his newspaper. Diego also promised to drive with me to the Indians to deliver goods."

There were many things she wanted him to do, but most of all she wanted him to talk with her and be there for here. She missed him so much. She missed Diego. He was so much a part of her life...so much more important to her than she'd ever realized. She loved him. And, she loved Zorro. Had she lost them both?

"I know, Victoria, I'll tell him as soon as he comes back," Alejandro assured her. "Felipe told me that he will visit Diego again soon, and I want him to tell Diego that he needs to return. You're not the only one who misses him."

Z Z Z

Felipe had listened to the conversation, horrified, without showing that he had understood anything that was said. Diego hadn't told him about the content of the letter when he had asked him to slip it under Victoria's door. Zorro had split up with Victoria! How could he do that! He loved her so much, and he needed her more than anything right now.

As soon as he got back to Diego he would need to make him see how foolish he was being.

Z Z Z

'You made me deliver a goodbye letter to Victoria,' Felipe said angrily, mixing words with signs, as Diego sat on his bed. 'I'd never have taken it to her if I knew what it was about!'

"How did she take it?"

'She was devastated, of course. What did you expect? She loves you, and you need to talk to her! And to your father too!'

"How can I expect her to marry me now? Victoria is in love with the hero of the pueblo. She never wasted a second glance at Diego. She wants a man who takes action and not someone who sits around doing nothing like Diego. But, that is exactly what I will be - sitting around uselessly, since I'm no longer able to ride as Zorro. I can't bear my father's remarks about his cowardly son any more, either. So, what is left for me?"

'Diego, you are wrong. Your father loves you no matter what, and Victoria cares for you more than you know. Every time I enter the tavern she expects you behind me, and each time she tries to hide her disappointment, asking when you will return. Victoria misses you, and I believe she loves you too.'

"She loves Zorro, but not the man behind the mask, and even less a crippled man. I don't want anyone's pity and forbid you to tell Victoria or my father anything about my injury. "

'How long do you want this to go on? You can't hide forever, and I need to tell your father where you are. He will send someone to the northern estates sooner or later, and then he will find out that you're not there. What do you expect me to tell him when he asks me where you are?'

"I'll write him a note that I went to San Francisco to spend a few weeks with an old friend visiting from Spain."

Exasperated, Felipe raised his hands. 'You're hopeless!'


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Two days later Mendoza and Sepulveda entered the tavern, followed by de Soto. Mendoza unrolled a paper that Sepulveda nailed to the wall of the tavern.

"What is this, alcalde? A new tax?" Victoria exclaimed as she stepped closer to read the text on the post. "A beverage tax of ten centavos on all beverages consumed in the tavern?"

"You cannot do this, Alcalde!" Victoria exclaimed, shocked. "How can I pay a tax of ten centavos for a drink that only costs ten centavos? I will have to double the prices!"

"You know this pueblo is poor and needs money, so we need more taxes." De Soto smirked at her.

"You have to take back this tax! It's illegal!" Victoria demanded.

"And how will you make me do that, Señorita?" De Soto sneered. "Will you send a certain masked bandit to fight me?" Victoria didn't comment as he continued. "Oh, I forgot, Zorro has left the area, hasn't he? So what will you do now?"

"So, that's what it's all about!" Victoria stated. "You want to find out if Zorro has truly left, or if he will come back to make you rescind the tax?"

"We will see, Señorita," De Soto grinned. "As long as your Zorro doesn't come back, this tax is law!"

"And if I can't pay?"

"Then you will go to prison for tax evasion!" De Soto threatened her. "Mendoza, you will stay here and count all the drinks that are served in the tavern."

"I'm sorry, Señorita," Mendoza apologized as he sat down at a table next to the bar where he could watch the room. "But, can I have a juice, please?"

Angrily, Victoria returned a few minutes later with a pitcher and a glass. "You can have one if you can pay. It's now ten centavos more."

"20 centavos?" Mendoza exclaimed. "That's a fortune for juice!"

"Blame it on the alcalde, Mendoza! Will you pay for it or not?" Victoria demanded, without filling the glass.

"Ahem, I think I will take some water from the fountain," Mendoza squirmed. "You know my salary isn't that high."

"As you wish. You can start counting right now, but I think there won't be much to count with these taxes."

Victoria returned to the kitchen and placed the pitcher on the table. Desperately, she leaned against the table and began to cry. If this tax stayed in place, she could close her tavern right now. Nobody would be willing to pay these prices for a drink, and without raising the prices she wouldn't be able to pay the taxes.

"Zorro," she whispered, "please, come back to me. I need you. Please, come back if you love me."

As predicted, there weren't many drinks to count for Mendoza for the rest of the morning. Most guests preferred to eat their meal without a drink or left right away as they weren't willing to pay the prices that included the tax.

Victoria decided it wasn't worth keeping the tavern open for the remaining lunch time and threw Mendoza out of the empty tavern. Taking her cart, she drove to the de la Vega hacienda.

"Victoria, it's nice to see you," Alejandro greeted her. "Has something happened that you left your tavern during lunch time?"

"I came to see if Diego was here," Victoria looked around, searching for his tall figure. "I need his help."

"Tell me, what has happened, Victoria." Alejandro led her to a chair and sat down opposite her.

"The alcalde has set up a new tax on beverages. I have to pay ten centavos for every drink!"

"Ten centavos for every drink! Nobody will be willing to pay so much for a juice or even a cup of wine." Alejandro exclaimed. "Something must be done!"

"Yes, but what, Don Alejandro? In the past I could count on Zorro to make the alcalde rescind the tax, but now.."

"You don't think that Zorro will come?" Alejandro asked, compassionately.

Victoria shook her head. "He wouldn't have written the letter if he hadn't meant it. That's why I thought of Diego. He has profound knowledge of the law. Maybe he could show the alcalde that it's not legal and have him rescind the tax."

"Yes, Diego would know what to do," Alejandro agreed. "But. unfortunately, he's not here."

"Is he still at the northern estates? He has been gone so long already, Don Alejandro! When will he come back?" Victoria inquired, desperately.

"I wish I knew, Victoria," Alejandro sighed. " Today, Felipe brought a note from Diego, saying he went to San Francisco to meet a friend visiting from Spain. I can't quite understand why he didn't come home first, but Diego always had his own ideas. I only hope that he comes home soon, but it takes at least two weeks for the return trip."

"Diego won't come back for weeks? Doesn't he understand that he is needed here in the pueblo? Can I talk with Felipe, please? I need to know when Diego will be back, and if he can help me!" Victoria exclaimed.

"I'll send him to you, Victoria, but he is not at the hacienda now. I asked him the same questions after I got the note, but he wasn't able to tell me more. To tell the truth, I have rarely seen him recently. He told me he has to run some errands for Diego. Do you want to stay for lunch?"

"No, thank you, Don Alejandro. I need to get back to the tavern and prepare dinner."

Z Z Z

A few days after the new tax was in effect, Victoria knew her tavern couldn't survive it. She needed to reduce costs and send her servants home. The next day she dismissed Alicia and told Pilar that she could only work for from Friday to Sundays and on market days when the tavern was busiest.

"Victoria, it can't be so bad with the new tax," Pilar said desperately. "I need the money from my work. My father is too old to work on the farm, and he depends on me now to support him."

"I'm sorry, Pilar. You know that I'm your friend, but if I have to pay you for more days of the week, then I can't maintain the tavern. With the new tax there are less guests coming, and I don't know how to survive myself."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Pilar asked.

Victoria shook her head. "No, nothing. I wish Zorro would come back and make the alcalde rescind the tax. But, he has left, and without him there is nothing I can do against this tax."

"Diego may have an idea when he comes back," Pilar suggested.

"I don't know when he will return, and if I can keep up until then." Victoria said, desperately.

Z Z Z

The next week Victoria worked harder than before, but she realized it wouldn't be enough. The money she made from the meals wasn't enough to cover the costs of the tavern, even after cutting helpers' hours. Most of her money came from the drinks, and the consummation of fruit juices and wine had dropped considerably with the new tax.

Z Z Z

"I'm sorry, Don Alejandro, but I have no time for you today. I need to cook the meals and serve the drinks," Victoria apologized when she rushed by his table a few days later.

"Victoria, what are you doing?" Alejandro asked her, concerned. "Where are your helpers? Did they both fall ill today?"

Victoria served the other tables and checked the meal in the kitchen before she found time to bring him a drink. "I had to send my helpers home," she explained, trying to hide her despair.

"Sit down for a moment, Victoria. You look as if you need a rest," Alejandro urged. "Why did you send Pilar and Alicia home? Is it so bad with the new tax that you can't afford them any longer?"

Victoria only nodded, suppressing her tears. With bent head she braced her hands on the table, not taking the time to sit down as he had asked. "Victoria, you can't do this all alone. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, thank you, Don Alejandro, I just need to go on as best I can. There aren't so many customers that I can't manage them alone." She picked up her tray and hurried back to the kitchen. Placing the dirty dishes in the sink to soak them, she stared for a moment at the plates as they sank into the water.

What she had said to Don Alejandro was true, she was able to manage the guests alone, but that was the problem. With the new tax there were so few customers left that she wouldn't be able to keep her tavern open much longer.

The curtain leading outside to the backyard moved slightly, and expectantly, she waited for the curtain to part and give way to a black clad figure. "Zorro," she whispered. The curtain moved again, and she realized that it had only been the wind. She wrapped her arms around herself and let her tears mingle with the water in the sink. "Please, come back to me. I need you," she cried, but she knew he wouldn't come.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

This time, Diego's recovery was much slower than the other times he was injured. Still weak with the after effects of fever, Diego lost hope as his depression began to overwhelm him.

What use was there for him when he could never ride as Zorro again? How could he face the pity on the faces of his father and Victoria when he had to tell them of his useless crippled state?

While Diego was slowly regaining his strength, cared for by his servants and Felipe, he was kept ignorant of the situation in the pueblo. Felipe knew it would only further distress him to know of Victoria's desperate efforts to cope with the alcalde's oppression, without Zorro to protect her. Diego was still far too weak to ride back to Los Angeles to protect Victoria, and his helplessness would only send him spiraling further into his depression.

Z Z Z

Victoria struggled with the new tax and the loneliness, feeling abandoned by Diego and Zorro. During the day she tried to numb herself with working to exhaustion, and at night she cried herself to sleep, wishing for Zorro to return to her.

Victoria hadn't thought that the situation could worsen, but it did. It was generally known now that Zorro had left, and some of the vaqueros who visited the tavern started to take more liberties with her. There were rude remarks and increasing attempts to grope her. She had managed to hold them off so far, but they continued to harass her every time they visited her tavern.

Z Z Z

Market day had brought her more guests than on other days, and Victoria was busy serving them.

Three vaqueros entered the tavern and headed straight for her at the bar. By the odor from their mouths and their rude behavior, Victoria could tell that the men were already drunk.

"Bring us some Tequila," the leader of the three demanded, pounding his fist on the top of the bar.

"I don't serve that drink in this tavern," Victoria replied, "and you already had enough!"

"Who says that we already had enough?" the vaquero leered at her. "We only had enough when I, Enrico Pérez, say so!

"Isn't that so?" Pérez grinned at his comrades.

"Si, Enrico, you're right," his fellow comrade agreed.

"You have heard my friends," Perez addressed Victoria again. "We want Tequila! Now!"

Victoria stared at him angrily, trying to ignore him, as she made to pass by the men, heading for the kitchen.

"We want to be served!" Perez grabbed her by the arm and restrained her.

Mendoza and his soldiers had watched the scene, and now Mendoza rose from his seat to interfere.

"Mendoza, stay seated!" de Soto commanded from his table. "This is an order!"

"But, Alcalde, this is Victoria, and these men are imposing on her." Mendoza countered, confused, but did as he was ordered.

"It's not the army's business to mingle with her guests," de Soto declared.

Perez grinned, tauntingly. "Señorita, did you hear that? You should be nice to us."

Still holding her in his strong grip, he drew her closer to him. Before Victoria could react, he took hold of her chin and kissed her on the mouth.

"Now, how was that? I'm sure you missed that now that your lover is no longer coming for you." Victoria wanted to slap him, but Perez caught her hands in time. "Do you want another?" he challenged her.

"Alcalde, please do something," Victoria pleaded while she tried in vain to free herself.

"As you wish, Señorita," de Soto sneered. "Now that you ask me, I will enforce the law here."

"Mendoza, arrest these men and take them into prison."

"Si, Alcalde." Smiling, Mendoza rose instantly from his seat to follow the order, signing his men to arrest the vaqueros.

Before he could leave, de Soto stopped him. "You're not finished here, Mendoza. The señorita will go to prison, too."

"But I have done nothing wrong!" Victoria protested. "These men were attacking me."

"You were kissing a man in public that was neither your husband nor your fiancé. I call that indecent behavior. And the sentence for that is three days in prison. I have to keep up the morality in this pueblo or this would soon be a less decent establishment." De Soto signed at the tavern making clear what he meant.

"You can't do this, Alcalde!" Victoria said, shocked. "I was attacked and if you had allowed Mendoza to help nothing would have happened."

Searching for help, Victoria looked around in the tavern, but none of the patrons rose for her defense. The table where the de la Vegas normally sat was empty, because Don Alejandro had gone to a bull auction and wouldn't return before tomorrow evening, and Diego still hadn't returned.

"Put the señorita and the men in neighboring cells. It will teach them decent behavior."

Mendoza hesitated, but if he didn't want to go against direct orders, he had to do as commanded.

"I'm sorry, Señorita," Mendoza apologized. "You will have to come with us," Sepulveda and him taking her in their midst.

Victoria was shocked and had tears in her eyes as she was led away by the soldiers.

"Maybe Zorro hears of this and comes to your rescue," Mendoza tried to cheer her up.

Victoria only shook her head. "I don't believe he will come, Mendoza. Even de Soto should know by now that Zorro won't come back or he would have made the alcalde rescind the tax a long time ago."

Z Z Z

The time in the prison was the most miserable in her life. The vaqueros continued to harass her with rude remarks, trying to grab her through the bars.

She tried to evade them by retreating to the back of the cell, but somewhere they had found a stick they used to poke her with. There was only one pallet in their cell, so the men took turns sleeping and while the others continued to harass her through the night.

Mendoza was the only one who brought her some relief, although only for short intervals several times a day, by leading her into another part of the prison where she could relieve and wash herself in private.

As dawn of the first night was nearing, she realized that she had hoped in vain for Zorro to come despite his letter. Zorro was truly gone, and she had also lost her best friend. Crouched on the dirty pallet she cried until she had no more tears left.

In the evening of the second day, Alejandro came to visit her in prison.

"Victoria, is there anything I can do for you? I came as soon as I heard of your imprisonment." Alejandro asked her compassionately.

"Can you get me out?" Victoria asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, Victoria, but there is nothing I can do. The alcalde insisted that you have to stay in prison for another night to keep up the morality! The morality!" Alejandro said angrily. "We all know that it wasn't your fault and that you are an honorable woman."

"The alcalde won't let me go?" Victoria asked, depressed. "But even he should know now that Zorro won't come to my rescue any longer!"

"The only thing he agreed on was to release you at dawn tomorrow and that you won't have to stay another full day." Alejandro said apologetically.

"Thank you, Don Alejandro. It's better than nothing."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was shortly after dawn when she was released from prison. Mendoza opened the cell door with a creak and lightly touched her arm to draw her attention as she had crouched on the floor with her head on her knees. "Señorita Victoria, it's morning, you can go now."

"Thank you, Mendoza," she murmured tiredly, rising stiffly from the floor. With her head bent low, she stumbled out of the prison. Outside, Alejandro and Felipe were waiting for her, walking at her side to the tavern.

"I'm giving up, Don Alejandro," Victoria said, depressed. "I can't stand it anymore. I will sell my tavern and leave Los Angeles as soon as I can. Tomorrow, I will drive to Santa Paula and speak with the bank about the mortgage, and I may even find a buyer for the tavern there."

Felipe and Alejandro looked at her, shocked. "I know these last days in prison have been very hard for you, Victoria. But, I know you are a fighter. You can't let de Soto win."

Victoria shook her head. "I can't fight anymore, Don Alejandro. De Soto has it made all too clear that I don't stand a chance without Zorro backing me up. Can't you see it? Zorro is gone for whatever reason, and without him we're nothing. All these years we depended on Zorro more than we realized. The caballeros won't do anything without him, either." Victoria was crestfallen. "If you have a buyer for my tavern, I'd be very grateful to sell."

"Maybe Diego will have an idea when he will come back from San Francisco, Victoria. Why don't you wait until he comes back? I don't want you to leave Los Angeles!"

"Diego has been gone for so long already, and we don't know when he will come back. It looks like his friend from Spain is more important to him than we are. And, I always thought he was my friend and cared for me. Why didn't he come back and help me when I needed a friend the most?" Victoria began to cry.

"I know you always tried to help me, but I can't fight on my own any longer. All the time I hoped Zorro would still be there for me, but after this time in prison I realized he isn't coming back. I only wish I could talk to him and ask him why. I believe he had his reason, but he should have told me in person. Or maybe he is already dead, and the letter was written in advance, just in case something happened to him. There are rumors among the soldiers claiming that they shot Zorro a few weeks ago." She bent her head down in despair.

"Victoria, I think you should rest a little. After you have slept, you'll feel better again." Alejandro stroked her shoulder, exchanging a helpless look with Felipe.

Victoria shook her head. "It will never be better, Don Alejandro. I have lost him, and there is nothing I can do about it. I'd do anything to have him back, but I know that I will never see him again."

"You know, Victoria, I would bring him back to you if I could," Alejandro assured her. "Do you want us to stay?"

Victoria shook her head, indicating that she wanted to be alone. Felipe looked thoughtfully back over his shoulder at Victoria, who was crying silently, before he followed Alejandro out of the tavern.

ZZZ

At the hacienda Felipe excused himself with Alejandro and went to look around the cave. Now that Toronado was no longer in his stall, and many of Diego's personal belongings had been moved to where he was now staying, the cave seemed somehow deserted. Thinking about Diego and Victoria, he made a decision.

ZZZ

Victoria knew she should start working immediately to reopen the tavern for lunchtime, but the possibility of facing further harassment by drunken customers scared her.

First, she needed to get rid of the filth and the smell of the prison, taking her time for bathing and washing her hair. When she picked up her dirty dress, the smell brought back the memories of the previous days in prison.

Unable to cope with it, she stored the dress in a bag in a corner of the laundry room where it was out of sight. Though she couldn't afford it, she would never be able to wear that dress again while the memories were still so vivid on her mind.

She had just finished cleaning up when there was a persistent knocking on the back door.

"The tavern is closed," she yelled, but the knocking didn't stop. Annoyed, Victoria opened the door to check on the visitor.

"Felipe, what are you doing here?" Victoria exclaimed, surprised.

"Did Don Alejandro send you?"

Felipe shook his head.

"Did you forget something?"

Felipe shook his head again.

"Then, what is it?"

Felipe pointed at the two horses he had tied in the backyard of the tavern, and then, at Victoria.

"You want me to go with you? On the horse?"

Felipe nodded.

"I'm sorry, Felipe, but I can't leave now. I'm very tired, and I need to rest after I have taken care of the tavern."

Felipe shook his head and pointed to the horses again, pulling her by the sleeve.

"Please, Felipe, tell me what this is about!"

Felipe signed something that she didn't understand.

"It must be very important that you are so persistent." Felipe nodded and smiled.

Victoria gave in. "Alright, Felipe. I'll go with you. But, don't make me regret it!"

ZZZ

It wasn't long before Victoria began to regret her decision to accompany Felipe. The boy had led her cross country not using the roads, away from the pueblo into a sparsely settled area where she hadn't been before. It was far off the main road that ran along the Californian coast from Monterey in the north to San Diego in the south and Victoria had completely lost direction.

They had ridden for nearly two hours, and she was exhausted, sweating from the heat and the long ride. She wasn't accustomed to riding so long on a horse, as she normally drove with her cart on longer distances.

"Felipe, where are we going? And, when will we be there?" She pulled at his sleeve to make him look at her and read from her lips. It wasn't the first time she asked, but the result was the same.

As the times before, the boy didn't give a real answer, needing one hand at the reigns and being unable to sign with both hands while riding. Felipe only pointed ahead, riding a little faster, and Victoria had to catch up with him again.

When she almost thought the ride wouldn't come to an end, Felipe led her back to a road that stretched in a northeastern direction. Following the road to the end, they approached a small, well maintained hacienda. To Victoria's surprise, Felipe guided their horses to the back of the building where he dismounted. "Where are we, Felipe? What do we want here?"

Felipe looked annoyed at her constant questioning. He walked over to her horse and motioned her to dismount, helping her down. Then, he signed her to walk across the backyard to one of the corrals adjacent to the house while he stayed with the horses.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Victoria recognized the black horse in the corral at once, before her eyes fell on the tall man, standing at the fence with his broad back turned to her.

He wore plain, comfortable clothes, consisting of tight dark brown trousers and a light brown shirt that fit him loosely. Even if he wasn't clad in black, his tall lean shape, and the way he stroked the horse, were a too familiar picture for her not to realize who she was about to face. Zorro! And, he wasn't wearing a mask!

Her heart suddenly began to beat very fast, and her mouth was dry as she slowly approached the lonely figure leaning against the fence. She wanted to run to him, but she had no energy left. Only a few steps more, and she would finally discover the identity of the man she loved. Toronado noticed her and whinnied.

"Felipe, did you bring a treat for Toronado?" He asked without turning around, his attention still on the horse. Victoria didn't say anything and only stared at the back of the man who gently patted the horse's neck.

"Zorro?" she asked, tentatively. Surprised by her voice, he turned around and faced her. "Diego?!" Victoria exclaimed, as she saw his face.

"Victoria? What are you doing here?" Stunned, Diego looked at the woman standing in front of him, before he addressed Felipe, who had stayed behind with the horses.

"Why did you bring her here, Felipe?" He addressed the boy, angrily. "Didn't you listen to anything I told you?"

'You need her!' Felipe signed, 'and she needs you!' Without any other comment he turned around to take the horses away, leaving Diego and Victoria alone.

Victoria still stared at Diego and Toronado. Seeing them together, she understood. Diego was Zorro!

"Diego? You are you Zorro!?" It was more a statement than a question. "Are you still my friend? Did you leave me because of something I said? I thought you no longer cared for me when you didn't come back!" She turned pale, leaning against the fence for support, afraid of his answer.

"Please, I need to know!" she begged. After the first shock, she noticed his gaunt appearance, and the arm he kept in a sling. "What happened? What's wrong with your arm? Have you been ill?"

Diego simply stared at her, unable to say a word. How could he begin to explain everything?

"Diego? Please talk to me! What happened?" Victoria looked at him, concerned. He had always been lean, but his haggard face and loss of weight showed that he must have been very ill. "Are you really Zorro?"

That was a question he could answer easily. "Yes, I am Zorro, or I was him, to tell the truth." He tried to imitate a smile, without success.

"Why are you here, Victoria? What did Felipe tell you?"

"He didn't tell me anything, Diego. He said that he needed to show me something. I never expected to discover your identity and find you in this place." Victoria continued staring at him.

"What do you think now, Victoria?" Diego stepped closer to her, as she was leaning against the fence for support, noticing how exhausted she looked. Her eyes were red from crying and lack of sleep, and she appeared to be ready to drop, hardly keeping herself up, making him wonder how she had gotten in such a worrisome shape.

"I'm too surprised to think at all, but I'm happy to see you ... to have found you!" With her hand she reached out for him, touching him slightly on his sleeve. "I have missed you, Diego. And, I realized that I love you. You, and Zorro. I couldn't stop thinking of you, ever since I got your letter. But, I need answers! Tell me why! Why did you leave me if you still love me? Or, was it a lie?" Anxiously, and with wide eyes, she looked at him.

"No, it wasn't a lie. I love you, and I always have." Diego couldn't imagine removing his eyes from her for even a moment, as his gaze took her in. After all the time he had been dreaming about her in his arms, it was impossible for him not to look at her. He wanted to reach out and take her in his arms, feel the warmth of her body.

Diego took another step towards her, close enough to have his body almost touching her. Unable to resist, he lifted his hand to tenderly caress her cheek.

Seeing the love in his blue eyes was all she needed to throw herself into his arms. "I have you back. I have you back," she whispered, clinging to him with all the strength she had left. "I have found you. That's all I ever wanted."

Diego hadn't expected to see her again, and now she was right here in his arms. Leaning back against the fence, he held her tight and supported her with his arm around her back.

"I missed you so much!" she cried. Physically and emotionally exhausted, her body shook uncontrollably in his arms.

Bending his head, he kissed her tenderly. Victoria clung her arms around his neck and returned his kisses hungrily, not wanting to let him go.

Diego drew apart when she couldn't stop shaking. Concerned, he looked at her. "What's wrong, Querida?"

"Hold me, please. Don't leave me again. I can't go on without you any longer!" Victoria cried, desperately, holding onto him with her arms around his waist. "I need you so much."

Diego grew more worried when she continued to sob, shaking hard. "Shhhh, Querida, it's alright. Please, don't cry!" Placing kisses on her hair and temples, he tried to soothe and comfort her. "Tell me, what's wrong, Victoria. What has you so devastated?"

Victoria shook her head, unable to express what she had gone through in recent weeks. "It was terrible. Not only that I missed you so much, but everything else got worse too. I don't know how to go on any longer."

Crying, she buried her face in his chest while he stroked her back and her hair.

"What happened?"

"De Soto. He wouldn't believe it when he heard that Zorro had left. At first, he tried to lure you back with taxes, and when Zorro didn't intervene as usual, he threw me in prison."

Alarmed, Diego looked at her. "He used you as bait again?"

Victoria nodded. "There were some vaqueros in the tavern, making trouble and harassing me, forcing a kiss on me. Mendoza wanted to help me, but de Soto forbade it. Instead, he had me arrested along with the vaqueros for indecent behavior and put me in a cell adjacent to them."

"There was no one who defended you?" Diego asked incredulously. "What about my father?"

Victoria only shook her head. "Your father was away for a bull auction, and none of my other patrons wanted to get in trouble with the alcalde."

"How long did you have to stay in prison?" he asked, concerned.

"De Soto arrested me two days ago, and didn't release me until this morning. He said it was the normal sentence for my behavior."

"He kept you in prison for nearly three days?" Diego asked angrily. "The prison is no place for a woman."

"The vaqueros continued to harass me in prison from the adjacent cell, and there was nothing I could do. It was bad - very bad," Victoria began to cry harder again. Sobbing, she clung to him, reliving the nightmare of the past days.

Diego pulled her tighter, though Victoria didn't give him any details, he could imagine what she had been through, as her tears soaked his shirt.

Picturing her in the filthy prison, being harassed by vaqueros, he became more and more angry, wishing he could ride out as Zorro again to take his revenge on the alcalde. Instead, he concentrated his attention on the woman in his arms and soothed her, understanding why she was so devastated, and why Felipe had brought her to him.

"I love you, Victoria." Tenderly, he kissed her cheeks and her temples, drying her tears with his kisses. "It's over. You're safe now."

"I didn't understand how much a difference you made, how much Zorro meant for me and the pueblo, until you were gone. I was secretly hoping Zorro wouldn't leave me in prison, and that the letter wasn't true, but Zorro didn't come. And, I was wishing for you to return, Diego, but you weren't coming home, either. I knew you would have helped me if you had been there. I depended on your presence in my daily life even more than on Zorro. When I realized that I had lost both you and Zorro, I never felt so alone, and I knew I couldn't go on anymore."

"I'm sorry, Victoria, that I couldn't be there for you. Didn't my father help you, either?"

"You father did what he could when he returned yesterday, trying to get me out of prison, but there wasn't much he could do. The alcalde wouldn't give in and only agreed to release me at dawn today. Everything de Soto did was aimed at me alone. The alcalde made clear that he would do nothing against the caballeros as long as they didn't help me. Your father was standing all alone in his efforts to support me. The other caballeros weren't willing to do anything for a mere tavern _wench_."

The way she spelled wench made clear that it had been meant as an insult.

"Querida, you're here now. I love you, and I'll do everything I can for you." Diego stroked her back, soothingly, while she was leaning against him.

Just having him to talk to and being in his arms was a relief for her. For the first time since she had gotten his letter, the aching emptiness inside her was gone, and she knew she wouldn't be able to go through that again. "Don't leave me again, Diego, that's all I ask. Please, don't leave me!" she pleaded, desperately. "I need you so much, and I can't go on without you."

"Don't cry anymore, Querida, I'm here for you," he assured her, holding her tight. "Mi Querida. Mi Amor." He kissed her face again and again while she continued sobbing. "It's over. I love you."

His shirt was soaked thoroughly from her tears when she finally calmed down and stopped crying.

Overcoming her own hurt, she looked at him, questioningly. "Tell me about yourself, Diego. What happened that made you write that letter, giving up Zorro, and what are you doing here?"

Quietly, he looked at her, and she saw the pain in his face at her questions and felt him draw her tighter. "I had no choice, Victoria. Believe me, I had no choice. I would have come to your rescue if I had been able to, but I couldn't," he whispered.

"I believe you, Diego, but I need to know what happened."

For a moment he looked at her silently, considering his options. He could send her away without telling her about his arm, or he could tell her everything, though he might still lose her. Gazing at her, he realized that she deserved the truth, but first he wanted to kiss her once more, just in case.

Would she leave him if he told her the truth, or was her love strong enough to keep her at his side?

Tenderly, he brushed through her hair, cupping her cheek with his hand as he bent down to savor her lips for a long, intense kiss that he didn't want to end.

"Diego?" Victoria looked at him, concerned, when he drew apart again. "What is going on?"

Diego didn't answer, alarming her with his silence. "Will you leave me again, Diego?" she asked anxiously, realizing that he hadn't promised her anything.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Come inside the house with me. I'll tell you what you want to know." Aware of her exhaustion, Diego put his left arm around her waist to support her. Before he was injured, he would have lifted her into his arms and carried her into the house, but he wasn't able to do that anymore and never would again.

Walking arm in arm, Victoria noticed his sad face as they crossed the backyard to the house with slow steps. "Diego? What's wrong?"

Without answering, he tightened his grip around her small waist. The inside of the house reminded her of the de la Vega hacienda with a similar style of furniture and decoration, but plainer and less representative. Diego led her into the parlor with a comfortable couch and chairs with a large bookshelf on the main wall, sitting down on the couch beside her.

"Do you want to drink something?" Diego asked her, pouring water into a glass from a pitcher on a nearby table and handing it her. "You must be thirsty from your ride and your crying."

Victoria nodded, only now noticing how thirsty she felt.

"Thank you, Diego."

After Victoria had quenched her thirst, she could no longer hold back the questions burning inside her.

"Where is this house? Why are you here, Diego? I thought you were in San Francisco? Why did you lie about your whereabouts?"

"This is my house, my refuge you might call it," Diego started to explain.

"Your house?"

Questioningly, Victoria looked at him, urging him to continue. "A few years ago, when I fell down a ravine as Zorro and got a severe concussion, I realized how difficult it was to keep my illness a secret. It was fortunate that my father was away, and that you all believed my excuse of falling from a horse. But, I knew that other injuries would be more difficult to explain, and in case I was injured I couldn't put the burden of taking care of me solely on the shoulders of a boy. Felipe is only a teenager, and it put a terrible strain on him to care for me and keep it a secret at the same time. Helping me with Zorro was already more than I should ask of a boy of his age.

"So, I searched for a remote house that wasn't too far away from the de la Vega hacienda, and yet did not belong to the Los Angeles territory, so that I was out of the jurisdiction of the alcalde of Los Angeles. I bought this house three years ago, and hired some newcomers to California as servants who wouldn't know me as Diego de la Vega. Here in this house I'm simply Diego Lopez, and Felipe is known as my brother. It was my mother's name, so I'm entitled to wear it."

"You are Diego Lopez?" Victoria was surprised. "I remember your father mentioning that name before. A few months ago he complained that a señor Lopez bought some brood mares that he intended to purchase."

Diego grinned. "Besides having the house as a retreat in case I was ill, I wanted to do something useful here. I decided to start my own horse breeding with Toronado and some brood mares I bought. I learned horse breeding from my father, so we both know good horses."

"Then, you came here whenever you told your father that you were at the northern estates? You must have been injured often!" Victoria tried to remember how many times he had used that excuse.

"Not as often as you think, Victoria. Sometimes, I only came here because I had to take care of things or simply needed to be myself, taking a break from acting." Diego gently touched her hand that she had put in her lap.

Victoria's face showed her doubts, not quite believing his explanation. "But, this time you were injured, Diego. You can't deny that. Tell me what happened!"

"Yes, you're right, Victoria," Diego admitted. "I was shot by soldiers when I was riding out as Zorro a few weeks ago. Toronado returned to the cave and got Felipe, who brought me here and called the doctor, too. I don't remember anything from that time, and when I woke up again nearly two weeks had passed. The doctor told me that I was very lucky to have survived. I noticed that the doctor had my arm wrapped up very tightly, and I asked him about it."

Diego tried to suppress the pain he still felt when he remembered the moment. Victoria squeezed his left hand. "The arm was broken, and I had been very close to losing it. Only because of Felipe's insistence, he didn't cut it off. The doctor hasn't much hope that it will ever heal completely." Diego looked down at his arm in the sling. "It will probably remain stiff."

The pain in his voice was audible. "Then, I knew that Zorro would never ride again. That's why I had Felipe deliver the note to you."

"Diego, you should have told me. It wasn't a choice for you to make alone." Victoria was torn between anger and the need to comfort him.

"Do you think the decision was easy for me?" Diego shouted, surprising Victoria with his emotional outburst. She realized how much he had kept himself under control in the pueblo.

"I didn't want to come home and have you look at me with pity. I knew your opinion of me only too well when I wasn't Zorro. I can't expect a woman to tie herself to a man with a crippled arm. I will need help with the most basic things as dressing and eating, among others. I can't even hold you with both arms. How can I ask you to share your life with me?" he asked, bitterly.

"You know the truth now, Victoria. There is nothing more to say. Felipe will take you home again." Unable to hide his emotions he rose from the couch, turning away from her.

"Please, forgive me for hurting you so much with my remarks, Diego." Victoria pleaded, shocked by his voice. "You must believe me, Diego, that I really love you, and I'd never look at you with pity," she assured him, catching his hand. Staying seated, she stopped him as he distanced himself from her, and pulled him back on the couch.

"During the weeks I missed you, I realized how much you mean to me, and that I depend on you even more than on Zorro. Your arm doesn't change my feelings for you, Diego, and I won't let you send me away so easily."

"You're not leaving?" he asked, not daring to hope.

"No, I won't," she assured him, putting her arms on his shoulders. "I love you, and I need you. Why don't you come back to Los Angeles?"

"I can't." Diego tried to make her understand. "I haven't completely recovered yet, and it's still an effort for me to walk around much or ride on a horse. I need to spend a lot of time resting and recovering, and I started riding on Toronado again only a few days ago. I simply lack the strength for acting, pretending to be plain Diego for you, my father and the rest of the pueblo. I need to be myself now. And, if I stop pretending, I will be hanged as Zorro. It's as simple as that." He raised his hand and tenderly caressed her cheek, running his fingers through her hair.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging tightly to him. "I don't want that, Diego. I want to see your true self, and know your love for me." She kissed him, and he drew her closer, intensely responding to her kiss, claiming her mouth, running his hand along her body as he pulled her on his lap.

Breathless, they drew apart again. "How can you still want me, Victoria?" he whispered. "I'm no longer your dashing hero, and I may never be whole again. I may be forced, in reality, to be the studious Diego you so despised for his inactivity."

"I don't need a dashing hero, Diego. When you proposed to me, I accepted the man behind the mask and not the legend. I love you for the wonderful person you are, the man I can talk to, who understands me, and who is also my best friend. And, you don't need both arms to hold and kiss me." She smiled at him, lovingly. "I want the man in flesh and blood to love and hold me, not a legend I see only fleetingly. I want a life with a real man and not a legend."

She caressed his face, and Diego turned his head to place a kiss on the inside of her hand.

"I missed you so much, Diego, while you were away." Tears came unbidden to her eyes when she remembered how lost she had felt, and Diego kissed her again.

"There's no more reason to cry, Victoria. You should know that never intended to hurt you, but I thought it would be best to set you free again even if it broke my heart."

"In the future you won't make these decisions alone," she said determined. "Let me stay, Diego," Victoria pleaded in his embrace. "I don't want to live without you any longer. If you don't go back to the pueblo, I want to stay here with you."

"That's one the reasons I broke things off with you, Victoria...because I didn't want you to decide between your life in the pueblo where you have your friends, and me. It's a lonely life I'm living, and I can't ask you to join me in my self imposed exile. The alcalde will suspect any man you marry suddenly of being Zorro. You can't go back to the pueblo after we are married as long we don't have a convincing explanation for my current state. Zorro left almost at the same time as Diego, and I don't know how to explain my arm when I'm supposed to be reading and doing nothing the whole day. I feel trapped with all these secrets I built around me." Diego showed his frustration.

"Are you sure you really want that life, Victoria? You have your tavern and all your friends there. You'd give that all up for me?"

"I don't care for the pueblo any longer. You and your father were the only ones who always supported me, but without Zorro as backup nobody else helped me. What kind of friends are they? I can't stand that anymore! I want to live with the man I love, and I don't want to wait any longer to start a family."

"Don't you think I want a family, too? But, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up this double life. I only exchanged one false identity for another one. Sometimes I feel I don't know anything anymore. What is right, and what is wrong?" Depressed, he looked at her. "Do you really want to marry me under these circumstances, Victoria?"

"Yes!" Victoria declared. "I love you, Diego, and I want to marry you. I don't know how to get out of this mess either, but I know one thing for sure - I don't want to wait any longer. It's the right time to start our life together now that there is no more Zorro. It may not be the way you intended it to end, but it's time for you to fulfill your promise." She sealed it with a tender kiss, holding and caressing him.

"You should return to the pueblo, Victoria," Diego whispered, as their passion began to flare, "before this goes any further. I will give you time to think about everything. You have been through a lot lately, and you should rest before making life changing decisions. I don't want you to regret anything, Victoria, when there is no turning back."

She realized that he was still full of doubts about himself, and that he wanted to be sure that she had thought it through. How very typical of him to analyze everything before making a decision, while she acted on her emotions.

"Sending me away won't change my mind, Diego. I know what I want. I want you! But, I understand why you want me to think about it," she smiled.

"If you don't change your mind, I'll talk with the padre at the nearby mission and ask him to marry us. How much time would you need?" Diego couldn't refrain from touching her face, and she instantly leaned closer again.

"I had time enough to think about you while I was missing you." Victoria put her head on his chest, feeling his warmth and listening to the beating of his heart. "A week should be more than enough to prepare, and I don't want to wait any longer."

Diego put his arm around her back to embrace her, placing a kiss to her hair. "Won't you take more time to think about it? I don't want you to make this decision in a rush, Victoria, and regret it later."

"We have been engaged for months, Diego. I didn't agree to marry Zorro, because I thought he might be rich or a caballero or someone special. I want the man who loves me as much as I love him, no matter the circumstances," she assured him.

"Since I didn't know your identity, I also thought about the possibility that you might not be from the pueblo, and that I might have to leave Los Angeles when we marry. I had already decided for myself that I wouldn't mind if I had you as my husband. The recent weeks made me even more determined to leave the pueblo.

"What about your father, Diego? He is missing you. Don't you think you should tell him about all this?" She raised her head and gestured around her. "Or, does he know?"

"No, he doesn't, and I don't want to see him." Diego's face became hard.

"Why not? He is your father, he cares about you! I don't understand."

"How can I face him again?" She heard the pain in his voice. "I wasn't enough for him when I was playing the studious fool, and now I'm crippled with a useless arm! He wants his son to be like Zorro, but I can't be that anymore. I'm even less than I pretended. I'm useless now!" Depressed and hurt, Diego held her tightly as Victoria embraced him, holding and comforting him.

"You will never be useless, and you know that. I don't think you should be so hard on yourself, Diego. I'm sorry you had to endure such hurtful remarks while you pretended not to be a man of action. You paid a high price for being the hero of the pueblo. And, no matter what happens, you're still the man I love, the man I want."

Diego held her tightly with all his strength. "I love you, Victoria, and I need you so much. I never dared to hope you'd stay if I told you the truth."

In their embrace they held each other for a while, exchanging the caresses they had hungered for during the time they had been apart.

_**A/N:** Some time ago I published the story The Other Son, announcing that I had a longer story in progress working on that theme. After reading this chapter you may have guessed that this is the story with the remote hacienda. The scene I decribed in The Other Son no longer fit into this story because Alejandro is not going to find out that way. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

They were interrupted by a knock on the door from the housekeeper, who slightly opened the door. "Patron, the doctor has come for his visit."

"Tell him I'm coming in a minute," Diego rose from the couch to follow the housekeeper, who had closed the door again. "After the examination the doctor will want me to lie down and sleep during siesta. Would you like to rest a bit during siesta too, or do you want to return to Los Angles right away?" He turned to face Victoria.

"I'll stay until later," Victoria replied, smiling, as he breathed a sigh of relief. "I feel tired after the days without sleep and the ride here, but most importantly, I want to be with you. There is a lot we have to talk about."

Taking her by the hand, he guided her towards the entry hall where the housekeeper, a Spanish woman of about thirty years, and the doctor, an elderly, gray haired man, were waiting.

"Doctor, thank you for your patience," Diego addressed him.

"Victoria, allow me to introduce Doctor Rodriguez and Maria, my housekeeper. Please, address Maria if you need anything," Diego introduced them. "My fiancée, Señorita Victoria Escalante." The housekeeper and the doctor looked at them, surprised.

"Encantado, Señorita," the doctor bowed, and the housekeeper curtsied, "Encantada, Señorita."

"I'll be with you in a minute, Doctor," Diego excused himself. Taking Victoria by the arm, he walked with her down the hallway and at the end opened the right one of two adjacent doors, motioning her to step inside.

"Victoria, this is your room, not only for siesta, but for as long as you're here. If you want to freshen up and change clothing, you'll find some in the trunk over there near the wall." Diego pointed at a large, waist-high wooden trunk with iron ornaments and two big iron locks.

"My room? Clothing?" Victoria stopped, looking around, admiring the elegant furniture of the large bedroom. "You mean a guest room?"

"No, your room," he said, somewhat self-conscious. "All these years, I wanted to show you how much I loved you, bring you presents. But, I couldn't give them to you, neither as your friend, Diego, nor as Zorro, because I knew that accepting gifts from a single man would ruin your reputation. So, whenever I found a dress or something else I thought you'd like, I put it in that trunk in your room here, dreaming of the day you'd come, and I could give them to you. Everything you'll find in that trunk belongs to you."

"Oh, Diego," Victoria was speechless, moved to tears.

"Just say nothing. All I dreamed of was having you here one day." He smiled at her tenderly.

"You should have told me much earlier how you felt about me. All those years we wasted!" Victoria rose on her toes and kissed him. "It's time to make your dreams come true, Diego. I'm here now," she whispered.

"Yes, you are. I never expected to see you here," he whispered, overwhelmed.

"I'm here to stay if you want me to, Diego," she wrapped her arms around him.

"You know how I feel about you, Victoria," he whispered, caressing her. "I can't let the doctor wait any longer. Please, feel at home," he smiled at the prospect, "Maria will provide you with everything you need. I'll show you around later."

Closing the door behind him, he left her alone to go to his meeting with the doctor.

**_A/N: _**_Emmarae gave me the __idea of Diego buying gifts for Victoria, and she allowed me to use it here. Thank you, Emmarae. My beta is busy with real life at the moment and didn't have time to read this chapter. I will correct the errors later, but I didn't want to wait with posting another chapter. This is just a short one and the next chapters will be longer.._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Victoria decided to talk about Diego's health with the doctor. As Diego's future wife, he would tell her the truth about his condition. Before she could take a closer look at the room, there was a knock at the door, and at her call the housekeeper entered.

"Señorita Escalante, I'm glad you've come," Maria smiled at her. "El Patron has been longing to see you."

"How do you know that?" Victoria inquired, surprised.

"My husband Rodrigo and I are caring for him when he is ill, and he spoke of you all the time during the time he was feverish." Maria explained. "It was very bad this time. He nearly didn't make it."

Victoria was shocked to hear that, though she should have guessed it, the way Diego looked. "How long have you been working and caring for Diego now?"

"It has been almost three years now, since Rodrigo and I came here from Spain. We were very lucky to get to work with Señor Lopez. He is such a kind man, and we are grateful he chose us at the harbor in Santa Monica. Without him our little daughter, Pilar, would be dead, just like her sister before her." Maria turned her eyes up, signing a cross and whispering a small prayer.

"Pilar. That's a nice name, Maria," Victoria smiled at the housekeeper. "How did Diego save her? And what happened to your older daughter?" she inquired, curiously.

"She died when she was less than a year old," Maria explained with tears in her eyes. "When breastfeeding wasn't enough anymore for her, I started to give her other food, and she liked it, but then she got cramps and lost weight no matter what I did. She died because she couldn't keep the food inside her body." Maria wiped a tear away.

"It must be very hard to lose a child that way," Victoria said, compassionately.

Maria nodded. "We wanted to have a new start, since I couldn't bear to pass by the cemetery with her grave everyday. So, we decided to come here to California. My daughter Pilar was born shortly before we went on board the ship. I breastfed her during the voyage, and everything was alright with her."

"What happened when you came here?" Victoria inquired.

"We were fortunate that Señor Lopez hired us when we stepped off the ship and were looking for work. Soon after we arrived, Pilar showed the same symptoms as my first daughter, and I was devastated. I was afraid that I'd lose her, too. Señor Lopez inquired what was going on, and I explained it to him. A few days later he told me he read something in a book from a similar case.

After the wars Napoleon brought all over Europe, there was little food, and the people were starving, without enough bread. A doctor in Germany found out that children who suffered from the same illness as my daughter survived when their parents no longer gave them wheat, as in bread, mainly because they didn't have any."

"What did you do?" Victoria asked.

"El patron told us not to give my daughter any bread and keep to milk and fruits instead. We couldn't believe it at first, but we were desperate and followed his advice. Pilar has grown into a healthy child now, and we couldn't be happier." Maria smiled, gratefully.

"I thank the Lord every day for sending us here, and for sending us Senor Lopez, who helped save our baby. After all that he has done for us, we'd never betray him, and we'd do anything for him, Señorita," Maria declared.

"Thank you, Maria. I'm grateful that he had some help here when he wouldn't trust his family."

"I have kept you long enough with my story, Señorita," Maria said. "I should get back to work now. Do you have everything you need?"

Victoria looked around the room. There was a door leading to another room, and she could hear murmured voices. At her questioning look, Maria explained. "That door leads to the room of el patron, but the door can be locked from both sides. You won't be disturbed, Señorita. I'll take care of your clothes, once you have changed." Victoria was too surprised to say anything.

"Are you hungry, Señorita? Or did you have lunch? Master Felipe went straight to the kitchen upon your arrival and has already eaten. I'll have something for you prepared in the dining room."

Victoria nodded. "Thank you, Maria. Now that you mention food, I feel hungry, and I really could use something to eat. I'm coming in a few minutes."

Feeling the need to freshen up after the long ride in the heat, she was grateful to be able to change into one of the dresses she found in the trunk Diego had mentioned before. They were all the same size, varying in style between normal day to day wear and more elegant ones, including also an evening dress. She picked one of the plainer dresses to change into, carefully folding the old one on a chair.

After some time she heard the conversation in the next room stop, and the door opening. Quickly, she opened the door to see the doctor leaving Diego's room and followed him. The doctor heard her steps and turned around, slowing his pace to have her join him. "How is he?" Victoria asked, walking down the hallway alongside the doctor.

"Ah, Señorita," he smiled, "I almost expected your question. At the moment he's asleep with a sleeping potion I gave him. The additional sleep helps his recovery. What did your fiancé tell you?"

"He told me that he almost died, and that his arm will remain stiff. Is that true?"

"Yes, to both. I have treated him several times before, but this time he nearly died under my hands. You must understand that I did all that I could for him, but the arm was in a terrible condition. All I could do was to set it up as best as I knew. I am only a doctor, and I can't work miracles."

"Thank you, Doctor, for all that you did for him. I know that it's hard for him, but I will do my best to help him." Victoria said, depressed.

"I'm glad that you finally came to see him! What kept you so long?" the doctor inquired.

"He didn't tell me that he was ill, Doctor. He no longer wanted to see me after he learned about his arm." Victoria explained.

"I understand, Señorita. I'm sorry that I had a different impression before I met you. When do you plan to marry?"

"As soon as possible, Doctor. Are there any objections from your side about marrying in a week?"

"Your fiancé still needs to rest a lot, and it will take some time to regain his former strength, even though he was in better condition than most of my patients. I see no reason why you can't marry soon, but I suggest waiting two weeks to give your fiancé more time. I think the bones will be healed enough by then, so I can remove the bandage from his arm before the wedding."

"Thank you, Doctor, for all you did for him." Victoria smiled, relieved.

"De nada, Señorita."

Z Z Z

After finishing the meal Maria had served her in the dining room, Victoria returned to her room, changing into a nightgown that Maria had laid out for her. For the first time in days, Victoria felt safe again as she slipped under the covers. She hadn't been able to sleep in prison, and now she was exhausted.

As she tried to sleep, she became aware of the quiet around her. There were no wagons passing by, no soldiers shouting and patrolling on the plaza. The peace surrounding her allowed her to finally relax after the exciting events of the day, and she began to cry, letting go of the sorrows of the recent weeks.

She hadn't told Diego of humiliating remarks she had to endure, and how the men had tried to grab her. Without Zorro to back her up, she had been vulnerable, and she knew she couldn't stand it anymore.

Calming down, she made up her mind. She would go back to the pueblo as Diego requested, but she would keep the tavern closed until she left Los Angeles and use the time to prepare everything for her wedding. If she found a buyer for her tavern, it would be best, or she would ask Don Alejandro to sell it for her after she left.

Staring at the ceiling, she was unable to sleep in the unfamiliar surrounding. The quiet made her feel lonely, and she longed for Diego's presence. Now that she had found him again, she needed to assure herself that she hadn't been dreaming.

She rose from her bed, and with bare feet, walked quietly on tip toes to the connecting door. Knocking, she waited for a response, and quietly unlocked the door as she heard nothing.

The room was as large as her own, with matching furniture. Surprised, she noticed a portrait of herself hanging on the wall opposite the bed. In the large bed in the center, Diego was sleeping soundly, due to the sleeping potion the doctor had told her about.

In his sleep and covered under the bed sheets, he looked weaker than earlier at the corral, and she understood why the doctor had said that he would need more time to recover. It didn't matter, as long she could be here with him in this room, touching him. He didn't wake up as she took his left hand between hers and sat down on his bedside.

"Diego," she whispered, "I love you so much. I need you in my life." Finally relaxing, she dropped her head next to his on the pillow and fell asleep, still holding his hand.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Diego woke up from the numb feeling in his left arm, and for a moment he panicked as he didn't feel it, but then he became aware of the reason. Victoria was lying next to him and had rolled onto his arm in her sleep. Without waking her, he carefully retracted his arm and rested his head on his hand to watch her sleeping form.

Stirring restlessly in her sleep, she mumbled inaudible words, showing her distress. He felt bad that he hadn't been able to be there for her and to protect her as he had done in the past.

"You're safe now, Victoria," he whispered, though he knew she wouldn't hear him. Looking at her beautiful body, he thought how it would be to peel her out of her nightgown and touch her soft skin and to run his hand along her naked body, making love to her. She would probably encourage him rather than stop him if he started kissing her now. For a moment he was tempted, bending over her with his lips close to her mouth.

Then, he shook his head. No, it would be wrong. He wanted her to stay with him because of her own choice, and not because he had taken advantage of her while she was so vulnerable from her previous ordeal. He had also not recovered enough to do much either and should pay heed to the doctor's advice to wait two more weeks.

Withstanding the temptation, he climbed out of bed and dressed while Victoria was still sleeping. The trousers were easier to manage than the shirt, and he cursed aloud as he tried in vain to pull his injured arm through the sleeve. The sling was in the way, and it was difficult with only one arm.

"Let me help you, Diego!" Victoria woke up from his cursing and got up from the bed as she saw him struggling. She walked around the bed and took the shirt to help him dress. Frustrated, Diego looked at her. He didn't like it, but he knew he couldn't manage it on his own.

"If we were already married, Diego, you would accept my help more easily. It's something that a wife does for her husband." She smiled at the sound of the word husband. She couldn't await it.

"Does your arm still hurt?" she asked when she helped him into the sleeve and put the arm back into the sling.

"Sometimes, but not so much any more. The doctor has it wound up tightly for the bones to mend, and he doesn't want me to move it. As if I could!" he added, bitterly.

"Diego, give it time. It will get better, and you still have me," Victoria tried to cheer him up.

He didn't mind her closing the buttons of the shirt, too, though he could do that himself, enjoying the warm touch of her hands on his chest.

Diego drew her near and kissed her again, stopping her from closing the upper buttons of the shirt, making her hands rest on his naked chest. Kissing passionately, they were soon out of breath, and she felt his rising desire.

"If we were married already, Victoria," he whispered, "you wouldn't help me dressing, but you'd be lying in bed with me and help me to undress."

Victoria blushed at his words, surprised at him being so direct though she liked it. It was something she didn't expect from the Diego she knew, only from Zorro. As Zorro he had spoken openly about his feelings for her, and if they wanted their marriage to work, they needed to talk with each other about their feelings.

"And if we were already married, you wouldn't send me away and letting me stay." Victoria kissed him passionately, and Diego responded to her kiss, feeling her thin nightshirt under his fingers. Pinning her to the wall with his body, he ran his hand up and down her body. With effort, he drew apart.

"We're not married yet," Diego released her again. "I don't want to dishonor you and give you no choice. Take your time and think about marrying me, before you regret it later. I'll wait for you in the parlor until you have dressed," staring at her all too visible figure under the thin shirt.

Victoria started to blush, only now realizing the situation. "I'll hurry." She rushed into her room and quickly changed into the dress from earlier, not wanting to keep Diego waiting.

* * *

_**A/N:** I try to post at least one chapter each week, despite waiting for my beta. Since I didn't get chapter 11 betaed yet, I split the chapter in two parts and I am posting the first part without corrections. That's why it's a short one again. The second part will be posted as chapter 12 during the next week and I'll edit the missing corrections. I look forward to your reviews. :)__  
_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"I wished I didn't have to return to the pueblo, Diego." Victoria sat down beside him on the couch, depressed. "But, I know that it would raise suspicions if I vanished like this. It would endanger your secret. And of course, there is a lot to prepare for our wedding, as selling the tavern."

"You don't want to keep the tavern?" Diego asked, surprised. "I thought you wouldn't want to part from it, after you put so much work into it."

Victoria shook her head, bent down. "The pueblo changed after you left. I don't feel safe anymore in the tavern, and the alcalde has done nothing to keep troublemakers in check." Opening up, she provided him with the details how she had been harassed in the tavern and during her time in prison, making him understand her situation.

"The fear of Zorro made guests behave in the tavern, but once they knew you wouldn't come back, I was without protection. I can't stand the tavern anymore, and if Felipe hadn't brought me to you, I would have had no other choice but to leave Los Angeles to live with my brothers."

"Felipe never told me your situation was so desperate," Diego said shocked.

"But now you're giving me a choice, Diego, a chance to have you back in my life," she smiled at him. "The last weeks have shown me that I don't want to live without you. I got used to seeing Zorro only rarely, I couldn't get used to not seeing you at all, Diego."

"I didn't know what to do either when I thought I'd never see you again. I always thought you'd only miss Zorro," he whispered, his voice hoarse from emotion. "Felipe will take you back to the pueblo. Any message you give him will reach me." Victoria nodded. "I'll let you know about the date and time of the ceremony after I talked to the padre." Diego hesitated a little. "But, I'll understand if you change your mind."

"Diego, I need you as much as you need me, even if you don't see it yet. You won't lose me." She drew down his head to kiss his cheek, making him smile again. "I can't wait to become your wife, Diego."

"Let me show you around before you leave." Rising from the couch, he took her hand and pulled her up. "You haven't seen much of the hacienda yet."

Still holding hands, Diego led her through the house and the stables, explaining his plans on horse breeding and showing her the latest foal that he had gotten from Toronado's breed.

"It won't take much longer until I can make a profit from the horses, selling and breeding them. I have a good stock now, and all the horses, Toronado has sired, show good traits. I won't be as rich as my father, but I'll manage on my own," he smiled.

"We'll manage on our own," Victoria corrected him. "I'll be a part of that too, Diego."

"You're right, Victoria. It will be our future, if you want," he smiled at the prospect of having her living with him as his wife.

During the tour around the hacienda, Victoria noticed the changes in him, now that she wasn't so tired and exhausted than before.

Elated to show her around, Diego forgot his own situation for the moment, showing his true self, walking and talking differently from the man he pretended to be during the last years. He walked with the steady step of Zorro, and also his voice sounded deeper. Victoria realized how much he had hidden behind the mask she knew as Diego.

After another short, passionate kiss he guided her back to her horse and a bored Felipe, who had become impatient for them to show up again.

Z Z Z

Victoria and Felipe had already ridden for twenty minutes, slowly leaving the hacienda behind in the setting sun, and she was thinking about the events of the day and about Diego.

Something was wrong, and it was bothering her that she didn't know what. When she felt her stomach rumbling, she knew. Angrily, she turned her horse around and galloped back to the hacienda that was still in sight, Felipe following her confused.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Maria looked at her, surprised, as she stormed into the house, heading directly for the dining room. It was exactly as she had expected. Diego was sitting alone at the table, his dinner in front of him.

"Victoria!" Astonished at her return, Diego rose from his seat to meet her. "Is something wrong?"

"If you think you can hide from me because you are too proud to show me your weakness, you are wrong, Diego!" she shouted at him, enraged.

"What are you talking about, Victoria?" Diego asked her.

"This!" Victoria pointed at the dinner plate on the table. The meat was sliced into tiny little pieces to be eaten with the fork alone. "You didn't invite me to dinner, and it's not like you to have me leave like this. You know very well how long it takes to get back to the pueblo, and that it will be late when I get home. So, why didn't you invite me to dinner before I left?"

Not waiting for Diego's answer, she continued.

"I don't think it was because of a lack of food. Then, I remembered something you said earlier - that you need help with everything, including dressing and eating. Isn't that so?"

Diego nodded, a bit guiltily. "You sent me away, so I wouldn't see you needing help at dinner! But, that won't work with me, Diego. If you want us to get married, you'll have to put away your foolish pride!"

Victoria faced him angrily, her hands clenched to fists. Diego stepped forward, unable to suppress a smile. "You haven't changed, Victoria. You're still getting angry at me. That's what I love about you, your fiery temper and your intelligence. I was afraid de Soto had broken you."

Victoria continued to glare at him. "Is that all you have to say?"

"No. You are right, Victoria. I allowed my pride to get the better of me...but, you are right...and, I want you in my life.." He put his arm around her. "Stay for dinner?"

"Yes," was all she could say before he closed her mouth with his kiss.

"You're the only person who can make me so angry, Diego, because you're so close to my heart. I can never be calm around you. You make me feel alive." Victoria stated when she could speak again.

Diego grinned at her, and she smiled back at him. "Everything about you makes me feel good, even if you make me angry, Diego. Without you, life is boring and lonely."

Diego laughed, happily. "I feel the same way about you, Victoria. I look forward to an exciting life with you." He kissed her again. "Let's have dinner now, before it gets cold."

Maria brought an extra plate and served Victoria's dinner. Felipe gave them time alone, having eaten earlier, anticipating the long ride back to Los Angeles with Victoria.

"Felipe is a growing boy," Diego smiled. "He's always hungry and knows his way around the kitchen, both here and at my father's hacienda."

"What about Felipe? Did he know from the start?" Victoria inquired.

"Yes, he helped me from the beginning." Diego explained how he had gotten the idea for Zorro to free her and his father out of prison. "He paid a price for Zorro, too. You should know that Felipe can hear and has started learning to speak again, but he still pretends to be deaf and mute in the pueblo to spy for me. Around here, he can try to be a normal boy and continue his efforts to regain his speech. It's another reason for us to spend time at this hacienda."

"It can't imagine how much effort it took you both to play this charade for so many years," Victoria shook her head in disbelief. "Felipe pretending to be deaf, and you changing the way you moved, talked and behaved in general. I'm happy that you dropped that mask around me now."

"Yes, I'm relieved, too," Diego admitted. "I don't want to act around you anymore."

They chatted amiably during dinner, and Victoria told Diego about the latest gossip in the pueblo. Diego was eager to hear about everything, since Felipe was his only source of information, and the boy had kept Diego ignorant about the latest developments to prevent him from getting more depressed.

Diego listened intently to Victoria's recounting, never moving his eyes from her. He put down the fork to stare at her. "Did I say something wrong, Diego?" Victoria questioned.

"No, nothing Victoria. It's just too good to have you here." He reached out across the table to cup her cheek with his hand, running his fingers through her hair. "I missed your company, Querida."

Victoria realized how lonely he had been in the recent weeks, probably brooding all by himself. She leaned her head into his hand, whispering, "I have missed you too, Diego. I love you." Reciprocating his gesture, she caressed his cheek, causing their arms to cross above the table.

"I love you, Victoria." The love she saw in his eyes overwhelmed her, making her even more determined never to let him leave her again.

"Will you stay for breakfast..," Diego asked, and at her surprised look, he added quickly, "of course, in your own room? I'm not sure what this will do to your reputation, but I don't want you and Felipe riding through the night without protection."

"Nothing would please me more," Victoria smiled. "I always wanted to share my meals with you, just like normal people." In an effort to ease his concern, she added, "I kept the tavern closed for today, and I can always say that I have been at the de la Vega hacienda overnight. People will believe it if they see me return with Felipe."

After dinner Diego led her back into the parlor, picking up a book from a small table next to the couch. "Do you want to read?" he asked.

"What is it?" Victoria asked.

"Some poetry from the famous play writer Lope de Vega. You may like it." The book in his left hand, he sat down beside her on the couch, wrapping his arm around her waist. Victoria quickly realized his dilemma of holding the book and turning the pages with the one arm that was around her waist. Before he could object, she snatched the book from his hand and opened it at the bookmark. "I will read," she declared, determined.

Slowly, she began to read the unfamiliar verses, enjoying the warmth emanating from his body. Diego quietly listened to her soft voice, placing a kiss on her hair.

She had only turned the pages twice, when she felt his breathing turn even, and the grip of his arm around her loosen. Looking up, she saw a smile on his sleeping face. She wasn't offended that he had fallen asleep during her reading, because she knew that he still needed to recover.

Enjoying their close position, she continued to read the book on her own, until Felipe came into the room to look for them.

"How did you spend the time the whole evening?" Victoria asked him. Felipe signed that he had been in his own room, reading. "I hope I haven't disturbed your plans too much today. But, I can't thank you enough for bringing me here." Felipe smiled happily and pointed at her and Diego, smiling in his sleep.

"I understand, Felipe. You did it for both of us, and you want Diego to be happy. I know how much Diego means to you." Victoria said, thankfully.

Diego stirred and sat up straight, looking at them. "I'm sorry, Victoria, I fell asleep."

"It's alright, Diego, you need your sleep to recover." Victoria smiled, hiding a yawn behind her hand. "I'm tired, too. It was a long, eventful day. Thanks to Felipe, it turned out better than I ever imagined." She stood up and gave the boy a grateful hug.

"Thank you, Felipe." Embarrassed, Felipe smiled at her, not used to such affection, and quickly distanced himself from her again. Then, he signed at Diego, who nodded.

"Yes, it's time for bed, Felipe. I'm coming with you." Victoria looked at him, surprised, impressed that Diego accepted Felipe's implicit help for undressing so easily in her presence.

"I'm fine, Diego," she answered his inquiring look. "I'm going to sleep, too."

Followed by Felipe, they headed for their rooms, stopping in front of the adjacent doors. "Good night, Victoria." Diego bent down and kissed her until Felipe's impatient coughing made them draw apart.

"Good night, Diego. Good night, Felipe."

When Diego and Felipe were finally alone, Diego talked with Felipe about the events of the day while Felipe helped him to undress.

"Felipe, I want to thank you for bringing Victoria here today. It was the right thing to do, and I must apologize for my words earlier. You were right, we both need each other, though I never thought she would need me that much."

Felipe smiled, relieved that Diego had forgiven him, and everything had worked out so well.

"You should have told me about Victoria, and that she was in prison," Diego reproached him. "I needed to know how bad the situation was."

"What would have been the difference?" Felipe challenged him. "There was nothing you could have done about it."

"I don't know. I would have tried to help her. She needed my help badly, and I wasn't there." Diego said remorsefully.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry more. You were in no condition to ride back to the pueblo. You almost died. You need to rest and recover and not worry about something you can't change!"

"I know, Felipe, that you wanted to protect me. But, I am better now, and I don't want you to keep information from me in the future. Promise me, you won't try to protect me again by not telling me something important?"

Felipe nodded, reluctantly.

Z Z Z

In the night Diego heard Victoria crying out. Scrambling out of his bed, he went over to her room to check on her. When he didn't find her in her bed, he looked around to discover her crouching on the floor in a corner of her room with her arms around her legs.

She tried to push him away when he bent down and touched her at her shoulder. "Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" she cried.

"Victoria, what's wrong? Why are you sitting on the floor?" Diego asked, concerned, crouching down beside her. At the sound of his voice, she raised her head.

"Diego?" Trying to shake off her nightmare, she stared at him, not fully awake. "I thought I was back in the prison with those vaqueros in the adjacent cell. They had a stick and stabbed me with it all night. Only in the corner of the prison cell they couldn't reach me." She started to cry. Diego lent her a hand to help her up, and she threw herself into the safety of his arms. "It was so horrible."

"Go back to bed, Victoria. Nobody will harm you here." Diego soothed her. "You're safe now!"

"Please, can you hold me until I have fallen asleep again?" She begged him, moving to the side of the bed to leave room for him to lie down, pointing at the space beside her.

Diego sighed. Victoria didn't know what she was asking of him, lying so close to him only wearing a thin nightgown. But, he knew that they had to wait until they were married, and had recovered more from what they had been through. But still, it was wonderful to have her in his arms instead of lying alone in his bed.

It took them a bit to find a sleeping position that was comfortable for both without Victoria touching his injured arm or lying too heavily on the other arm. They both were tired, and soon fell asleep again.

In the early morning hours, Diego woke up again and retreated to his room, as he wasn't sure if he could withstand the temptation if she woke up in his arms in the morning.

Z Z Z

At dawn Diego knocked on her door to wake her, and after a short time she met him and Felipe in the dining room.

"Buenos días, Diego, Felipe," she greeted them.

"Buenos días, Victoria. How are you?" Diego looked up from his plate, rising from his seat with a happy smile on his face.

"Much better, Diego. I haven't slept that well for weeks." Before she could sit down, Diego took her hand and kissed it. She rewarded him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek, remembering Felipe's presence. "Thank you for being there for me last night," she whispered in his ear.

"You look beautiful today, Querida," he smiled at her, sincerely meaning it. He thought that she looked much more relaxed and rested than yesterday when she had been crying in his arms. She was wearing another of the dresses he had bought for her, and it looked on her better than he had anticipated, emphasizing her womanly curves.

"Thank you, Diego. I feel rested, and it's a beautiful dress." Victoria noticed his admiring look.

Z Z Z

After breakfast, Victoria and Felipe were ready to return to the pueblo.

"I can't wait to see you again, Diego." Victoria longingly looked at him as they reached the horses, Diego's arm still around her waist.

"Neither can I, Victoria, but I don't think you should come again before the wedding. Take your time to think about everything, and about whether you really want to marry me and join me in my exile." His face closed up at the thought of losing her again. "I'll understand if you don't want to live on this remote hacienda without your friends and don't show up at the wedding."

"Trust me, Diego. I want a life with you. That's what I have been waiting for all those years. I wish I could stay right now." Reluctantly, she drew apart from him, already missing his embrace.

"Be careful, Victoria, when you return to Los Angeles," he urged her. "Would you like Felipe to stay with you at the tavern, so you won't be alone in the tavern at night?"

"Diego, I will manage. As long as I keep the tavern closed, there won't be any trouble from unpleasant guests. I think Felipe would prefer to be here with you rather than keeping me company. You need him more than me."

"Are you sure?"

Victoria nodded, reassuringly. "I wish I could protect you myself as I used to," Diego said miserably, "but I can't! My arm is useless! I am useless!"

"Diego, please, don't say that," she begged him, putting her hand on his arm. "It's not true, and you know that. I love you, and you're the most important person in my life. I need you! And, I don't value you only by the strength of your arm!"

"Keep at least your pistol in reach, Victoria. I can't have anything happen to you," he insisted.

"I won't go anywhere without it, I promise. It's only two weeks, Diego. You won't lose me again!" After another long goodbye kiss that was interrupted by Felipe's discreet coughing, she was on her way back to Los Angeles.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Later that day, Alejandro came to visit Victoria in the tavern to see if she had already recovered a bit from her ordeal. Coming through the back door into the kitchen, he was relieved to find her in a much better mood after she had been so miserable the day before. She looked much more rested than before, and something else was different about her too, as if she was less depressed, standing straighter.

"How are you today, Victoria? I wanted to invite you for dinner last night, but the tavern was closed, and you didn't answer to my knocking. Did you spend the day alone in your tavern, resting?"

"Thank you, Don Alejandro. It was kind of you to invite me, but I met a friend yesterday. I needed to get out of here for a day." Victoria was calm, and the despair from the day before had left her.

"I think it has done you good. You look much better today," Alejandro smiled at her. "And you are wearing a new dress, too. It's beautiful. The invitation for dinner is still open if you want to come."

"Thank you, Don Alejandro. I'm sorry, I can't come, but I'm very busy at the moment because I couldn't take care of the tavern the last few days." Victoria felt guilty that she kept her relationship to Diego a secret, but it was something she couldn't tell without Diego's consent.

She hoped that she could convince Diego to talk to his father and invite him to their wedding. "I realized that it was a good idea to see something else besides the tavern, so I have decided to stick to my decision of leaving Los Angeles."

"You're leaving Los Angeles?" Alejandro exclaimed, surprised. "I thought you only said that yesterday because you were so desperate. Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll visit my brother in Mexico," she said, evasively.

Alejandro noticed that she wasn't telling everything. "Victoria, you know you can trust me. If you're in some kind of trouble, you can rely on me."

"Don't worry, Don Alejandro. Everything will be all right. I know what I'm doing." She smiled at the thought of Diego and of being in his arms again.

Alejandro stared surprised at her dreamy face. "If I didn't know it better I'd think you're in love, Victoria. I haven't seen you smile for some time, and you looked very happy for a moment. You're sure you're not getting yourself in trouble?" He was concerned that she didn't want to tell him where she was going. "I feel responsible for you, Victoria."

"As I said, I'll be fine. But, could you do me a favor?" Victoria asked, hesitantly.

"Yes, of course, Victoria. What is it?" Victoria rarely asked him for something, and he was glad if he could do something for her, after he hadn't been able to free her from prison.

"If someone asks, can you confirm that I was at your hacienda yesterday?" Victoria tried to hide her guilt from Don Alejandro.

"Where have you been yesterday that you can't tell, Victoria?" Alejandro's curiosity was raised now. "Did you get yourself in trouble?" His concern grew as he saw her squirm.

"I simply can't tell you where I have been, Don Alejandro. But, I can assure you that nothing happened that you need to be concerned about." Victoria assured him, sincerely.

"I trust your word, Victoria. You know you can always come to me with your problems. You're like a daughter to me, Victoria." Alejandro wished she would open up to him.

"Thank you, Don Alejandro. I can't tell you at the moment, but I will remember your offer." Victoria smiled, apologetically.

Realizing, that Victoria wasn't willing to share more information, Alejandro changed the topic. "Will you reopen the tavern today? I'm sure Mendoza isn't the only one who is missing your food."

Victoria shook her head. "No, I will keep it closed. I haven't decided yet what I will do with the tavern when I leave town. There is so much to do and to prepare and ..." Victoria smiled again, thinking of her oncoming wedding.

She knew that she couldn't wait until the wedding to meet Diego again. There was so much they hadn't talked about and not the least of it was to talk with him about his father. And to have him hold her and kiss her and feel the warmth of his body...

"Victoria?" Alejandro tried to shake her out of her reverie, but she didn't hear him, smiling to herself. "Victoria!" Alejandro touched he lightly at the arm. "Where are you with your thoughts?"

"Alejandro, I'm sorry," Victoria apologized. "For a minute I forgot that you were here."

"Victoria, tell me where you have been yesterday that you are so distracted today!" Alejandro demanded.

"I'm sorry, Alejandro. It's just as I said, I met a friend. That's all you need to know."

"As you wish, Victoria. Please, think about what you're doing!" A bit offended by her unwillingness to talk to him, he turned around, wishing her a good day.

Shortly, after he had left, Pilar, her helper, entered the kitchen. "Victoria, how you are doing today? You look much better. Did you buy a new dress? I've never seen it before."

"Thank you, Pilar," Victoria answered a bit self-conscious. She started to regret that she had taken the dress with her to Los Angeles, but she had wanted a reminder that the last day hadn't been a dream. Diego buying that one for her made her feel loved and wanted and...

Pilar's voice got her out of her thoughts again. "I'm happy that you're out of prison again. Will you open the tavern again today? There will be a lot you need to prepare, as buying food and chopping vegetables, cooking, sweeping the tavern... I'm here to help you, Victoria."

"Pilar, I'm sorry, but I must disappoint you. I know you want to start working again, but I won't open the tavern today..."

"But, you will open tomorrow?" Pilar interrupted her. "I can understand that you still want to recover from your ordeal. Don't you need me today? I can still help preparing for tomorrow."

"Pilar, listen to me. I won't reopen the tavern. Not today, and not tomorrow, or any day after that. The tavern will stay closed."

"It will stay closed? But why? I don't understand? The tavern is your life, your work! What will you do then?" Pilar stared at her open-mouthed.

"I'm going to leave Los Angeles to live with my brother in Mexico. I have realized that I can't stay here."

"Are you giving up? Victoria, you can't do that! You can't let the alcalde win! You have always been a fighter."

"Yes, and a good fighter also knows when he has lost. The days in prison have shown me that I have no chance against the alcalde without Zorro backing me up. There is no more Zorro. I know that, and the alcalde knows it, too." Victoria had tears in her eyes when she thought of Diego, and how hard it was for him. "And, I can't go back to prison again. No, Pilar." Victoria shook her head. "It's over for me."

"Will you sell the tavern? Maybe I can work for the new owner," Pilar asked hopefully. "When will you leave?" Then she looked at Victoria, guiltily. "I'm sorry, Victoria. I don't want to sound it as if I can't wait for you to leave."

"I understand, Pilar. I know that you need the work to support your family," Victoria touched her sleeve. "When I'll sell it, I'll recommend you to the new owner."

"Thank you, Victoria," Pilar smiled, unhappily.

Later that day, Mendoza paid her a visit too to ask for her well-being. Victoria thanked him for his support during her time in prison, but like Pilar she had to disappoint him when he asked her about the reopening of the tavern.

In the night she woke up from feeling cold, finding herself sitting on the ground in her room after she had dreamed she was back in prison. This time, there was no Diego to take her in his arms to keep her nightmares at bay, and she was afraid of falling asleep again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Two days later she had Felipe take her to Diego again. Felipe wasn't very happy about it, as it wasn't planned, and he preferred to do other things than riding four hours to Diego's house and back.

"Felipe, I need to talk to Diego, and it isn't something that can be done by writing letters. You'd have to ride there if I wanted you to take a letter to Diego. It will be much easier if I simply ride with you." Not knowing how to counter her arguments, he gave in with a sigh.

The trip took even longer now, because Victoria insisted on taking her cart, so that she could continue to Santa Paula from there, and they had to use the roads instead of riding cross country.

Z Z Z

Diego was in the parlor, resting and reading a book when she entered the room. "Victoria, what are you doing here?" Diego asked, surprised at their arrival. "I thought we had agreed not to meet again?" He got up from the couch to greet her.

"I never liked the idea of not meeting again before the wedding. But, don't worry, Diego, I was careful. I told everyone that I went to Santa Paula to the bank for two days, and nobody will be suspicious." Victoria assured him, stepping closer.

"What was so urgent that it couldn't wait? Is something wrong?" Diego asked, putting his arm protectively around her.

She didn't answer his question, rising on her toes to kiss him. "That couldn't wait! You can't keep me away, now that I know how to find you," she whispered when she lowered back on her feet. "I missed you, Diego. I needed to reassure myself that finding you wasn't a dream."

"It wasn't a dream, Victoria, though I can hardly believe it myself to have you here in my arms," he smiled.

"There are so many things we need to talk about." She wrapped her arms around him, putting her head on his chest. "Will you let me stay tonight?" In his arms she would be able to sleep again. "Please?"

"You know how much I enjoy your company, Victoria. You're always welcome even though it's not proper to have you here before the wedding." Diego noticed that she looked tired as if she hadn't been sleeping. "Did you have nightmares again?"

Victoria nodded, clinging to him. "I always dream I am back in prison with those vaqueros in the next cell harassing me," she admitted. Diego bent down to kiss her much more tenderly than before, showing her how much he loved her, and she relaxed in his arms, smiling happily at him when she opened her eyes again.

"Are you sure that you don't want Felipe staying with you? You wouldn't be alone in your tavern at night."

Victoria shook her head. "It's less than two weeks, and his presence won't help me with my nightmares. I will manage."

"What do you want to talk about? Have you changed your mind about the wedding?" he asked, though her earlier display of love made him doubt it.

"No, I haven't, but we need to talk about your father, Diego." Victoria was determined.

"What about my father, Victoria?" Diego asked, sitting down beside her.

"He is your father, and he loves you. And, he has been like a father to me. I could always count on him. I feel bad about lying to him, and I don't think we should exclude him from the wedding. He may be able to understand your reasons for not returning to Los Angeles, but not being invited to the wedding of his only son will be something he won't forgive us, and could cause a rift between you that you may never be able to overcome again."

"Yes, my father," Diego said, thoughtfully. "I love him, but I still don't know how to face him. Face him like this!" Angrily, he pointed at his arm, running his hand through his hair.

"He will be proud of you when you tell him the truth. You saved his life several times."

"I'm no longer Zorro, and I'll never be him again. My father is only proud of Zorro and not of the son who is only interested in books. But now, books are all that I have left!" Angrily, he took his book and threw it on the floor.

"That's not true, Diego." Victoria quickly picked up the book again and lay it back on the table. She put her hand on his arm. "You will always have me and Felipe. We both love you. And your father does, too. At least, you need to give him a chance and talk to him."

"You're right, Victoria. I need to talk to him. I haven't even written him a letter, because I didn't know how to tell him. How can I make him understand that I'm not coming home? It's not something you can explain in a few lines."

Diego took her hand and caressed the back with his thumb. "I know this is not the wedding you dreamed of, but I'll try to talk to my father, and if we come to an understanding, I'll ask him to lead you down the aisle in your brother's stead."

"You'll do that?" Victoria smiled at him, gratefully. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"I talked with the padre yesterday about the wedding date, and he agreed to perform the ceremony Friday next week, but this Thursday he wants to talk with both of us about matrimony and hear our confessions. Would you ask my father to accompany you and Felipe to the church where the wedding will take place?"

"I'll do that, Diego. Your father loves you, believe me."

"What about your plans for the tavern, Victoria? You said you want to go to bank in Santa Paula to talk about it?"

"I don't think I can find a buyer in Los Angeles who will give me a good price, and I need to discuss the remaining mortgage with the bank before I can sell it. There are one thousand pesos left to pay off the mortgage, and then I will be free of debts. Either, the buyer of the tavern gives me a high enough price so I can pay the final rate or the buyer will have to pay back the final rate, getting the tavern for a lower price. I need to see what is acceptable for the bank. Maybe they can even help me find a buyer."

Z Z Z

They spent the day together, planning their wedding and simply enjoying each others company. Victoria slept in Diego's arms again, his presence helping her to fight the terrors that haunted her every night now. The next morning Victoria drove to Santa Paula to talk with the bank about her tavern before she returned to Los Angeles.

* * *

_**A/N:** I want to thank my beta reader for editing this chapter and the next ones though it's Christmas time and everyone is busy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and tell me what you think._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

On her way back from Santa Paula, Victoria stopped with her cart at the de la Vega hacienda.

"Victoria! What a nice surprise! How was your trip to Santa Paula? Were you successful in finding a buyer? Will you stay for dinner?" Alejandro welcomed her heartily, and Victoria felt bad that she had deceived him earlier.

"Don Alejandro, I'm not sure if I can stay," she started, hesitantly. "There is something I need to tell you, and I don't know how..."

Alejandro looked at her worried face and led her to the parlor. "Sit down, Victoria. You know you can come with your troubles to me. I'm here to help you."

"I know, Don Alejandro. All these years you have been a true friend, and that's why I feel so bad about this." Victoria looked down on her hands, rubbing them nervously, before she faced Alejandro again.

"Please, Victoria, stalling won't help. Just tell me what it is." Alejandro encouraged her, motioning her to sit down on the couch, taking a chair opposite of her, bending forward.

"When I told you that I was visiting a friend a few days ago, I wasn't telling the whole truth. The truth is that I met Diego." Victoria looked at him apologetically, moving forward to the edge of the seat.

"Diego? You met Diego? I thought he was staying in San Francisco to meet a friend? Why didn't he tell me that he came back? And, why did you keep it a secret?" Alejandro was confused. "When is Diego coming home? Did you tell him that he is needed here?"

"Diego isn't coming home..." Victoria started, but she was interrupted by Alejandro.

"He isn't coming home? Why not? His home is here!"

"It's very difficult for me to explain that, Don Alejandro, and I think it'd be best if Diego told you himself."

"He needs a very good explanation for that! He has work to do here!" Alejandro exclaimed, irritated.

"Don Alejandro, please let me say what I must, without being interrupted. It's not easy for me either way." Victoria pleaded, and Alejandro looked at her guiltily.

"No more interruptions, Victoria. I promise. Go ahead."

"Diego has reasons for not coming back, reasons he has to tell you himself. He is not well, and he needs me now, just as I need him. We'll get married on Friday next week, and I won't be returning to the pueblo, either. I'm going to live with him." Nervously, Victoria awaited Alejandro's reaction after she had finished.

Alejandro had wanted to say something, but he kept himself from interrupting. Now he was too stunned to say something. After a moment of silence he found his speech again.

"Victoria, I don't know what to say. This is a complete surprise to me. What do you mean that he's not well? Is he ill? And, why didn't Diego tell me about it himself? I'm his father. I'm here for him if he needs me. How bad is he? I'm happy to see you both married, but I can't understand it. He never showed an interest in you, and you're in love with Zorro. This is all very confusing!"

"Diego is hurt in more than one way, and he doesn't need anyone to tell him what to do!" Victoria declared. "I don't want him hurt any more than he already is, so please have patience and just listen to what he has to say before you respond. If you only want to lecture him about his duties as a son, you should stay at home."

Alejandro was deeply disturbed. "Victoria, please, you need to explain I don't understand. Why doesn't he want to see me? What do you mean he's hurt?"

Victoria cringed her hands. "I'm sorry, Don Alejandro, I can't tell you." She began to cry.

"Please, Victoria, it's alright." Alejandro gently stroked her shoulder. "Just tell me what you can!" He didn't know how to handle this. Everything she told him had him very concerned. Diego was hurt and didn't want to see him, and he apparently had no plans to return home.

"You said that Diego will meet me if I am willing to listen. Please, Victoria, tell him I will do that. I want to see my son, and I want to talk to him." Alejandro was hurt and confused. "I want to understand what's wrong with him!"

Victoria nodded. "I'll talk to him."

"Where is Diego? Where can I meet him?" Alejandro inquired.

"I can't tell you, Don Alejandro, even if I knew." Victoria shook her head. "But, we will meet with the padre at the chapel on Tuesday to talk about the ceremony. Diego will be waiting there for us."

"Which chapel, Victoria? Here in Los Angeles?"

"No, of course not here. He won't come back."

"But, why not, Victoria? What's keeping him? Was I such a bad father that I have driven my only son away from home?"Alejandro asked her, desperately.

"You have to see him, Don Alejandro, and talk to him. Please, try to understand him. It's not easy for him to meet you." Wiping the tears from her face, she rose from her seat. "I have to go now, there's so much to do. And, please, don't talk about this to anyone!"

"I understand, Victoria. This is my only chance to see my son again! Who doesn't want to see me again for reason's I can't understand, and you're not willing to tell me!" Alejandro looked at her, desperately. "Please, Victoria, tell me what I have done wrong! I am his father. I love him! Doesn't he know that?"

"Diego needs more than your love now, Don Alejandro. He needs your acceptance, especially now when .." Victoria stopped her sentence.

"When what, Victoria?" Alejandro urged her to continue. "What about now? What has happened?"

Victoria shook her head. "We have both hurt him so much all those years, Don Alejandro. I don't know how he can still love me. I need him, and I'll be there for him. I won't do anything that will hurt him more. But, I'd be happy if Diego invites you to our wedding." Victoria rose from her seat. "Adios, Don Alejandro."

"Adios!" Alejandro replied, absentminded. He was so shocked that he forgot to lead Victoria to the door. After she had closed the door behind her, he buried his face in his hands and wept. His son had left him, and he hadn't even known.

Diego needed his acceptance, Victoria had said. Painfully, Alejandro remembered the many times he had criticized him, not accepting him the way he was. He had even called him a coward. And now, Diego wasn't coming home because he couldn't bear it anymore. "Forgive me, my son, please forgive me!" Alejandro whispered to himself. "If I could, I'd take it all back. Just forgive me and come home, Diego!"

He must have sat there for some time, as the sun was already low when he came out of his thoughts again. Stiff from sitting in the same position too long, he rose to his feet. He needed to go to the pueblo and talk with the padre. His consolation might help him.

Z Z Z

Padre Benitez sent the children away when he saw Don Alejandro's face as he approached him. "Don Alejandro, has something happened? Can I help you?" The padre guided him into a private area where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Padre, I need your help. It's about Diego!"

"I haven't seen him for some time, and he hasn't written. Has something happened to him?"

"Yes, but I don't know what!" While the padre was listening patiently, Alejandro told him of his talk with Victoria. "Padre, what can I do now? How can I persuade Diego that I love him? To make him talk to me again?" Alejandro told him about his fear that he had driven his son away with his hurtful remarks over the years. The padre convinced him that he should try to listen to Diego, and try to understand him. Alejandro promised to follow his advice and returned home more relieved.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

On Thursday, in the pueblo near Diego's hacienda, he and Victoria were to meet with the padre for their confessions and wedding plans. Alejandro had joined Victoria and Felipe on their trip to meet Diego.

After a two hours ride cross country they finally arrived at the small gathering of houses that couldn't be called a pueblo, being considerably smaller than Los Angeles and consisting mainly of the chapel and the adjacent mission. A carriage was standing in the shadows of trees near the small chapel, and Diego was waiting on a small bench in front of it. He stood up as he heard the three horses approaching.

Felipe and Alejandro stayed a short distance behind as Victoria dismounted first and walked ahead to meet Diego. They didn't kiss in public, but Victoria went straight into Diego's arms. Even from the distance Alejandro could see that they were very close, having only eyes for each other.

"Querida," Diego beamed at her. "You came today and haven't changed your mind about the wedding! The padre has taken my confession and lectured me about matrimony. Now, it's your turn."

"The padre won't change my mind, Diego." Victoria smiled at him, wishing they were alone. "You should talk to your father, Diego. He was shocked when I told him you weren't returning to Los Angeles. I couldn't tell him your secrets, but I think he needs to know. He came all the way to talk to you."

"I'll try to talk to him, Victoria. I just don't know how."

"He's willing to listen, because he loves you and doesn't want to lose you."

"Thank you, Victoria." Tenderly, he caressed her cheek.

"You no longer have your arm in a sling," she remarked. "When did it come off?"

"Just today," he made a face, showing his pain. "I can't do much with it, as I feared. The doctor recommended a colleague in San Diego who may help me to get some control back, but he told me not to expect any miracles."

"Then we should go there, Diego, after the wedding," she said, determined.

"It won't be much of a honeymoon if I have to spend a lot of time with the doctor," he warned her.

"Don't worry about that, Diego. There will be enough time for us," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

After giving them a private moment, Alejandro and Felipe went over to join them. Nothing Victoria had said had prepared Alejandro for Diego's appearance. He was shocked to see how gaunt Diego had become, and it took him a moment to notice that Diego wasn't using his right arm.

"Father," Diego said, quietly.

"Diego, it's good to see you, son."

"It's good to see you, too, Father."

Alejandro couldn't take his eyes from Diego. After the weeks he hadn't seen him, the change was obvious. It wasn't only the physical appearance, but also the way he moved and looked was different, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly how. Even his voice sounded differently and deeper.

Victoria left them, excusing herself to talk with the padre, who was waiting for her.

"Can we talk, Diego?" Alejandro asked. Diego nodded and pointed to the bench he had occupied earlier. As Diego didn't say anything, it was up to Alejandro turn to start their conversation.

"Diego, I don't know what to say. When Victoria came to me and told me about you two getting married and that you won't come home, it was a complete surprise to me. I don't know what is going on, but I understand that I haven't been the father I should have been, or we wouldn't find ourselves in this situation," Alejandro expressed his bewilderment.

"First of all, I want to tell you that I'm sorry, Diego. I never intended to hurt you so much with my remarks. I want you to know that I love you, son. I was wrong to expect you to be like Zorro and to compare you to him. Please, forgive me, Diego, for treating you terribly. I didn't say it enough, but I love the son I have."

"Thank you, Father. That means a lot to me." Diego smiled a little. "I'm sorry, Father, that I didn't talk to you earlier, but I didn't know how."

"Can you tell me what happened, Diego? You have been ill. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What did Victoria tell you?"

"Almost anything. Only that you were injured and that you aren't coming home. Why Diego? Why don't you want to come home? Is it because of me? Because I hurt you too much?"

"No, it's not because of that, Father." Alejandro breathed out relieved, but waited for Diego to continue. "It's because it's time for me to live my own life. Victoria and I want to get married, finally, and have a life together. I don't think we can have that in Los Angeles."

"Why not? What's wrong with living in the pueblo? I don't understand you!"

"I need to be myself. And, I need to find out what to do with my life now. I'll never be the same again." Diego's voice was bitter.

Alejandro heard his pain, and he felt for his son. "I still don't understand. What has changed you so much, Diego? How did you get injured?"

"I was shot a few weeks ago. I barely survived, and my arm will remain stiff. I don't want to bother you with your useless son."

"'Shot! How? I don't understand any of this! But, Diego, ...please, you are my son. I love you." Alejandro was shocked by Diego's words. He began to understand why Victoria said that Diego needed her now. "Your arm doesn't change that, Diego. Just come home, Diego. You can live with Victoria at the hacienda, and there's a lot you can do with one arm."

"Maybe you're right, but I need time to find out. And, I can't do that while I have to act at the same time. I lack the strength for that now."

"You said before that you need to be yourself. What do you mean by that, Diego? Can't you be yourself at home at the hacienda?"

"No, I can't. I never could be. I always had to to act, and I'm tired of it. It's the price I paid, but it never ends. I don't think it ever will. So, I'd rather stay away."

"That doesn't make sense to me, Diego." Alejandro was confused. "Even if I don't understand your reasons, I want to be a part of your life. Please, don't shut me out!" Alejandro pleaded. "Where are you living now? You were not at the northern estates or in San Francisco as you made me believe!"

"No, it was only an excuse. I have another place now." Diego admitted, not giving away the location.

"Why the secrecy, Diego? Why don't you trust me? Am I such a bad father?" Alejandro inquired, hurt.

"It's for your protection and for mine as well. I have to think about Victoria's safety too, once we're married. You can't tell what you don't know, Father."

"What are you afraid of, Diego? How could keeping your whereabouts secret protect you or me? Who would care about it anyway?" Alejandro was confused.

"The alcalde, of course," Diego explained, impatiently. "What do you think, he'll do, once he finds out that Victoria and I got married? He may have been blind in the past, but he's not that stupid not to draw the right conclusions. I don't intend to end on the gallows when I can't fight anymore."

Diego shook his head while Alejandro still tried to figure out the meaning of Diego's words. Why was Diego talking about the gallows? And, why would the alcalde be interested in his whereabouts?

"I'm sorry, Father, but I can't risk that. Victoria and I will be happy to have you at our wedding, but otherwise it will be better if we don't meet. I hope you'll understand that you can't talk about this, and especially not about my wedding."

Diego rested his head on his hand, looking tired. "Tell everyone I went on a journey to Mexico or Europe or whatever. Pick something you like. I'm too tired to think of new lies and excuses. I have done enough of that these last few years, and I don't want to live like that anymore. I need a break from acting day in and out, always thinking about my words."

Alejandro stared at him, and suddenly he grasped the truth. Diego was Zorro! The son he had been living with in the last years had been acting around him, never showing his true colors. That was what Diego was talking about, and that was the reason he was so different now. At the same time, he understood the pain his son was going through.

Diego had been Zorro, the acclaimed hero of the pueblo, and now he felt useless because of his injured arm. And, he had called his son a coward! Alejandro felt ashamed as never before in his life. How could he expect Diego to come home when his own father had treated him so badly?

"You are Zorro, Diego?" Alejandro asked, stunned.

"No, not anymore. There is no more Zorro." Diego corrected him, confirming it at the same time.

"But, you were Zorro! I never saw that. I don't know what to say." Alejandro was overwhelmed by the revelation. "Saying thank you isn't enough after you saved my life so many times, risking your own for me. There is no way to tell you how very sorry I am for the way I treated you. I'm sorry, Diego. I only realize now what you were going through."

Alejandro looked at his son with tears in his eyes. "Take the time you need to heal, and when you need me, I'll be there. Just don't shut me out of your life and let me meet you once in a while." Alejandro gently tapped Diego's left shoulder.

"Thank you, Father," Diego smiled a little. "After the wedding, Victoria and I will go to San Diego to consult a doctor for my arm. I don't know how long we will stay, but we will write."

"I want to see my grandchildren, once you have them. You can't deny me that, Diego." Alejandro pleaded.

"There's still time to work it out, but I want my children to know their grandfather." Diego smiled at the thought of having his own family. Alejandro breathed out, relieved at Diego's words. It had been one of his greatest fears that Diego would cut off his connections to him completely.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Do you want to talk, Diego?" Alejandro asked, tentatively. "Knowing the truth now, I realize that we haven't really talked for years. All these lies and acting, how did you manage that for such a long time?"

"I never intended it to last so long. All I wanted was to free you and Victoria from prison without fearing retribution. That's why I put on the mask for the first time. But then, Zorro was needed again and again, and Victoria only looked at me when I wore the mask. I was caught in a trap of my own making, and I didn't know how to get out." Diego explained, depressed. "It's good that it's over."

"Why didn't you ever tell me, Diego? I would have been there for you, I could have helped you!" Alejandro inquired.

"I didn't want you to hang beside me if I ever got caught, Father. That's why I didn't tell Victoria, either. And, could you have stayed calm every time Zorro rode into the pueblo if you had known that it was me under the mask?"

Alejandro shook his head. "I don't know, Diego. You're my only son. I can't bear to lose you. Neither by a bullet nor by you, distancing yourself from me. How could you bear the burden all alone over the years?"

"Felipe knew from the start. I wouldn't have managed without him. He was an important ally," Diego acknowledged.

"Ah, yes, Felipe. I should have guessed that by now. I wondered during our ride here why it was him who led the way and not Victoria." Alejandro, absentminded, pulled his folded gloves through his hand several times.

"So much becomes clear now, Diego - the many things I didn't understand about you, and the changes I saw in you upon your return from Spain. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier."

Apologizing, he looked at his son. "I'm sorry, Diego. I should have trusted you instead of trying to change you. Will you give me another chance?"

"Gladly, Father!" Diego smiled, and they embraced shortly.

"Thank you, Diego." Alejandro was moved, and tears glistened in his eyes.

"The wedding will be next Friday," Diego changed the topic. "Would you lead Victoria down the aisle, as none of her brothers can be present?"

"I'd be honored, Diego." Alejandro smiled again. "Where will you marry? Here in this church?"

"Yes, the padre will perform the ceremony at noon next Friday."

"I'll be here, wherever this 'here' is. I must confess that I have never been in this area in the years I have been living in Los Angles. I didn't even know there was a mission here."

"The mission was built only recently by the padre after there was a flood at the mission in San Buenaventura a few years ago. He was sent from his order in Saragossa in Spain to California to bring His word among the people. In the few years he has been here, the padre has been quite successful with the Indians, and with all the newcomers from Europe, this is a growing community."

Diego talked a little more about the mission as it kept the topic neutral. Alejandro noticed that Diego didn't reveal any more information about himself or where he was living now. Every time he tried to get some answers, Diego either evaded him or shifted the topic.

Only now, Alejandro became aware that Diego had used the same tactic in the years he had hidden his identity as Zorro. Finally giving up, Alejandro stopped asking, and they sat silently side by side waiting for Victoria to return.

Alejandro glanced sideward at his son, trying to take in the changes in him, still too shocked by everything he had learned during their meeting, trying to comprehend it all. He understood that Diego needed time to think about his future, but the prospect of an empty hacienda without his only son scared him.

He had been nagging his son to get married and have children, and now that Diego finally took Victoria as his wife, he left his father alone. Alejandro cursed the day he and Victoria were thrown in prison, making it necessary for Diego to become Zorro.

When Victoria emerged again, Diego rose and took her by the side to talk with her quietly. "Still not scared away?" he teased a little, putting his arm around her back.

"The padre is really a nice man, and he was very understanding," Victoria smiled at Diego. "He didn't lecture much on matrimony, but instead listened and spoke with me. It felt good to talk openly with someone who already knew your secrets. How was your talk with your father?"

"He has accepted that I won't come home though it's hard for him. I invited him to our wedding." Diego smiled at Victoria's relief.

"I'm glad," she smiled, kissing him on his cheek. For a moment they stood in each others arms, enjoying their closeness.

"How are you, Victoria? Have you been threatened again?" Diego asked, concerned for her safety.

"I'm fine, Diego," Victoria assured him. "Since I announced my leaving, the alcalde hasn't made any attempt to threaten me. I think he's now convinced, like anyone else that Zorro won't come back."

"And, he's right about that," Diego said, depressed, prompting Victoria to snuggle tighter into his arms. "I'm relieved that everything goes well. Did you open the tavern again?"

Victoria shook her head. "No, I didn't want to give de Soto any reason to throw me in prison again."

Noticing, how much the thought of the prison scared her, Diego drew her closer and rubbed her back, soothingly.

"But, I haven't found a buyer for it, either," she continued. "The alcalde came over to the tavern after I returned from Santa Paula and inquired why it was closed on a day when the coach was passing through Los Angeles, and that the passengers had complained about it. I explained to de Soto that I was going to sell the tavern and leave Los Angeles. Then, he made me an offer, trying to buy the tavern for almost nothing. Of course, I declined that. What can I do?"

"That is something I wanted to discuss with you, Victoria. I don't think you should sell the tavern."

"But, how can I keep it if I don't return to Los Angeles?" Victoria asked him, puzzled.

"I have been thinking about your tavern while planning our wedding. Tell me, how did the people in the pueblo react when you didn't reopen the tavern after you were released from prison?" Diego inquired.

"Some friends came over, asking about my well-being. And, of course, there was Mendoza, who was eager to eat in the tavern again instead of the food from the barracks. He was quite disappointed when I told him that I was going to sell the tavern," Victoria told him, not sure what Diego's question was about.

"I see," Diego said, more to himself than to Victoria. "Mendoza was the only one to complain?"

"I think several of my other regular guests were unhappy too, but they were quite understanding that I wasn't in the mood to work in the tavern after my days in prison, expressing their hope that I'd reopen again soon. What is all this about Diego?" Victoria questioned him.

"I think the alcalde hasn't realized yet what he has done by chasing you out of town. We'll let him suffer the consequences." Diego explained.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Diego, but I'm only too happy that you don't want me to sell the tavern. If I had to sell it on short notice, I wouldn't get a good price. What do you want me to do?"

"Keep the tavern closed and lock it up securely, by barring the windows from the inside to make sure nobody will break in. Empty the tavern of everything worth stealing and store it at my father's hacienda, except for what you want to take with you when you leave the pueblo on Friday," Diego instructed her.

"I understand that this is the best thing to do if I leave the tavern unattended after my departure," Victoria agreed, "but I still don't know what you're up to, Diego."

"It will be your farewell gift to the pueblo," Diego grinned. "It may take some time, but I hope it will have the desired effect."

"You and your scheming, Diego," Victoria shook her head. "If we can afford to go without the money from the tavern for the moment, I will keep the tavern and sell it later, after you get your 'desired effect'."

Then, she eyed him suspiciously. "But, the reason to keep the tavern is not that you want to make it easier for me to change my mind about marrying you?"

"No, Victoria," he assured her, "that's not the reason. I'll explain it to you later, but now we should go over to my father and Felipe again."

"Father, Victoria and I have just discussed the tavern, and I want her to keep it. Would you help her to empty it of all valuables and store them at the hacienda? We have that old barn that we don't use any longer," Diego asked his father.

"Are you coming back to Los Angeles, Victoria?" Alejandro asked, surprised. "I thought you had decided to keep no more contact?"

"No, nothing has changed about that," Diego declared. "I think it will be good not to sell the tavern and keep it locked up. If anyone asks you about it, tell them that it's not for sale."

"I understand that you won't get a good price if you sell it on short notice, but I can't understand why you don't want to put it on sale at all. I could try to find you a good buyer, Victoria." Alejandro offered.

"De Soto made Victoria leave Los Angeles. He will soon realize what he has done!" Diego didn't waiver in his decision. "There are more ways to fight than with the sword." Making decisions came naturally to him, and he no longer hid his true personality. "I can't fight him as Zorro any longer, but I will make him pay in other ways for what he did to Victoria."

Victoria and Alejandro looked at him puzzled, no longer seeing the Diego they used to know, but the man he had hidden under the mask. They were relieved that he seemed to have forgotten his pain for the moment.

"As you wish, Diego. Just tell me what you want me to do. You know I will help you any way I can," Alejandro assured them.

"Thank you, Father," Diego said, gratefully.

"Victoria, if you move all your belongings from the tavern to my hacienda, I think you should stay at the hacienda for the next week too," Alejandro suggested. "There's room enough and I would love to have your company. You can come whenever you're ready."

"That's a good idea, Father," Diego supported him. "You will be safer at the hacienda than in your tavern, Victoria."

"Thank you, Don Alejandro, that's very generous. I will stay with you." Victoria agreed. "You said that the invitation for dinner is still open. Do you mind if I come today?"

Alejandro and Diego looked at each other, surprised and concerned. They had expected that Victoria would show at least some reluctance to accept the invitation, and that she accepted it straight away showed more than anything else how scared she still was.

"Are you sure that everything is alright, Victoria?" Diego inquired, concerned.

"Yes, it's only .. I heard today that the vaqueros will probably return soon from the cattle round up..," Victoria started.

"You're afraid that they will harass you again," Diego filled in, and Victoria nodded.

"You should have said something much earlier, Victoria," Diego said. "You're not alone."

Diego looked at his father.

"I will make sure that Victoria is safe until the wedding," Alejandro assured his son. "I don't want anything to happen to my future daughter-in-law," he smiled.

"Thank you, Don Alejandro," Victoria smiled, gratefully, relieved that Alejandro had accepted her engagement to Diego and welcomed her into the family.

"I will need to go to the bank in Santa Paula again if I don't sell the tavern," Victoria stated.

"Do you want to make a stop and visit me?" Diego asked, taking her hand and kissing it.

"I'd love to," Victoria smiled at this first open invitation to visit him at his hacienda after she had come uninvited previously, knowing she could spend the day and the night in his arms again.

Alejandro raised his brow at this, knowing that he should object to Victoria visiting Diego alone, but they both needed time together after all they had been through, and he couldn't deny it to them. This was the time to start trusting his son to behave as he was raised.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 **

On their ride back they didn't talk much. Alejandro needed to come to terms with what he had learned during his talk with Diego. Diego was Zorro, or rather, he had been him. He had never expected that from his son who had pretended to be only interested in his studies, claiming to know nothing about fighting. Secretly, Diego had made it his goal to protect the pueblo from the oppression of the alcalde, while playing the fool for everyone.

Diego had played an act for the last five years, ever since he returned from Spain. Alejandro had to admit that he didn't really know his son. Diego had kept it all to himself, his feelings, his hurts and especially his love for Victoria. The only ones who probably knew him best were Felipe and Victoria.

Alejandro felt hurt about being left out. Diego had wanted to protect him and Victoria – in a way he understood that. But, why did Diego think that his father would no longer care for him when he had an injured arm? Didn't Diego understand that he loved his son no matter what? That he cared when Diego was injured or even dying? That he did not only care for the black masked hero? Diego had accepted his apology, but did Diego really believe him after all the hurting remarks of the past years? Diego hadn't been willing to share his new whereabouts with his father nor asked for regular meetings.

He and Diego had come to an understanding, but even now his son was a stranger to him. Had everything been an act? All the conversations and everything else? Who was the real Diego? The man in the black mask he had met only fleetingly through the years? Was he really interested in those studies and those books?

While Victoria continued to ride on to the pueblo, Alejandro asked Felipe to join him in the library. Though Felipe obliged, it was easy to read from his face that he dreaded the talk Alejandro wanted to have with him.

"Felipe, please sit down." Alejandro pointed at the chairs, taking a seat in front of him. "Diego didn't tell me very much today, but he revealed that you knew from the start about Zorro. So, you can answer my questions. Diego described you as a helpful ally. I also noticed that both Diego and Victoria talked to you directly without taking care that you could read their lips. So, I assume that you can hear?"

Felipe nodded, guiltily.

"When did you regain your hearing? Before or after Diego became Zorro?"

Felipe signed "before."

"Even before Diego returned from Spain?"

Felipe nodded, guiltily.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have been happy to hear that. It would have made your teaching much easier! Why didn't you trust me?"

Unhappily, Felipe began to sign, expressing his fear that Alejandro's attitude towards him would change if he knew.

"Did you think I'd no longer care for you? That I only let you stay out of compassion?" Alejandro asked, incredulously.

Felipe shrugged, insecurely.

"Felipe, after all the time we spent together while Diego was in Spain, you should know that I care for you and that you are more than a servant to me. You are like the second son I never had." Alejandro assured him, patting him on the shoulder.

Felipe smiled shyly, still unsure if he could believe it.

"And, what about speaking? Can you speak too?" Alejandro continued his interrogation.

"A .. little," Felipe said with effort. "Diego.. helps... me.. practice."

"And, since when can you speak again?"

"Not.. long..," Felipe pressed out.

"I see. So, you could hear from the start and regained your speech only later?"

Felipe nodded.

"I understand that this could be quite useful. You acted as spy for Zorro while you pretended to be deaf and at the same time you guarded each other's secret!"

Felipe signed how he had listened to conversations while he had pretended to be deaf, grinning a little.

"It must have been fun for you and Zorro to fool everyone, even me."

Felipe shook his head. "No.. fun!" He started to sign again, making sure that Alejandro understood him. 'It was fun at the start, but later it was no longer fun.'

"Why not? I could see Zorro having his fun with the soldiers and humiliating the alcalde, leaving his Z on their clothes."

'Diego began soon to realize that he had trapped himself when he became Zorro. He was often depressed that he couldn't show his true self around you and admit his feelings for Victoria. When Zorro nearly died at the beginning, I was very scared,' Felipe explained. 'That's why Diego bought a house where he could hide when he was injured, pretending he was at the northern estates.'

"That's why he spent so much time there?" Alejandro asked, shocked. "Was Diego injured often? Did the soldiers injure Zorro when he came to the pueblo?"

Felipe shook his head. 'The soldiers never hit him when he was in the pueblo. I think it was deliberate. Only the last time when he rode out as Zorro they shot him. He nearly died, and I was very afraid.'

Alejandro could read from his face how much it stressed the boy. "You had a rough time and you had to hide it all on top of it!"

Felipe nodded, almost crying. He ran his hands across his face in distress, trying to suppress his tears. 'I thought he would die, and I didn't know what to do!'

"It's alright, Felipe. It's over now. Diego lives, and he is no longer in danger of being shot by soldiers." Alejandro stroked his shoulder, soothingly, realizing that Diego wasn't the only one who needed to heal.

'It was so bad,' Felipe no longer hid his emotions, expressing his fears. 'Much worse than the other times when I thought he would die.'

"What other times, Felipe?" Alejandro asked, alarmed. "When else was Diego close to dying and I didn't know it?"

'When he fell down the canyon and was believed dead, he nearly died of the concussion. And, when I thought he had drowned in that aqueduct."

"When was that? And, where was I? And, what about the aqueduct?"

Felipe felt the need to talk and to unburden himself from all the secrets. He started to sign, explaining what had happened while Alejandro had been in Monterey and Zorro fell down the canyon, and how Diego had escaped the siege by crawling through the aqueduct while Mendoza had flooded at the same time. There were more incidents, like the poisoning from Palomarez, and Alejandro was shocked to realize how ignorant he had been all the time. While Diego had tried to hide his injuries and his exhaustion, his father had chided him for his inaction.

They had talked for a long time, nearly until the evening and it had left them in a somber mood. Victoria registered it at once when she arrived with her bag for the next days around dinner time.

"What's wrong, Don Alejandro?"

"There's nothing you need to worry about, Victoria," Alejandro assured her. "Felipe and I had a long talk today when I questioned him about Diego and Zorro. I learned a lot about Diego today and some parts about his adventures give me nightmares only thinking about it. Did you know that Diego crawled through the aqueduct during the siege to be able to return as Zorro while Mendoza was restoring it at the same time or that he was poisoned by Palomarez with only 24 hours to live without the antidote?"

"No! He never told me!" Victoria was as shocked as Alejandro earlier.

During dinner they talked a lot about the revelation that Diego was Zorro and how it changed their view of him. Victoria recounted how Felipe had brought her to Diego and how she had learned his secret.

"It's a lot to take in," Alejandro said, dazed from everything he had learned that day. "I will need some time to cope with it."

Victoria only nodded in agreement, as she was still trying to comprehend it all. Diego hadn't talked much about his adventures as Zorro after she had learned his secret. She knew that he had lived a dangerous life, but only now she began to grasp the full meaning of it. It made her even more relieved that it was over and that she no longer had to worry about his safe return.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

During the following week Victoria was busy preparing everything for her departure and her wedding. She had to clear out the tavern and to decide what she wanted to take with her and what would stay at the hacienda. The tavern had no longer been habitable after Victoria stored all the valuables, including most of the furniture and cooking utensils, in one of the barns on the de la Vega hacienda.

She was grateful that Alejandro had invited her to stay at the hacienda where the alcalde wouldn't bother her.

Z Z Z

Finally, Friday had come, the day of the wedding. Everything had been planned to avoid any suspicion from the alcalde or anyone else in the pueblo. To keep the wedding secret, they would arrive at the chapel separately.

Victoria had declined Diego's suggestion to have Felipe accompany her. Instead, she wanted to leave the pueblo alone as always, pretending to be on her way to Santa Paula to sell her cart, and take the coach from there to travel to her brother.

Felipe would meet with Victoria at a crossroad of the Camino Real between Los Angeles and Santa Paula and guide her to the mission chapel that was located at some distance from the main road.

Alejandro was an experienced soldier, who had learned to find his way on his own, so he didn't need Felipe's guidance to find the chapel that he had visited only a week ago.

Z Z Z

It was still early in the morning, but Victoria couldn't wait any longer to be on her way. The drive would take her about three hours, but she wanted to be there at least an hour before noon. Now it was only a few hours until she would be married to Diego!

"Be careful on your way, Victoria," Alejandro told her. "Are you sure you don't want Felipe to accompany you the whole way?"

Victoria shook her head. "No. I told everyone that I would be going to Santa Paula to sell my cart and take the coach from there to live with my brother. I can manage on my own as I have done so many times before when I was driving to Santa Paula alone. And, Felipe will be waiting for me at the crossroad leading to the chapel, so I won't get lost."

Victoria happily smiled at Alejandro as she urged her horse to move forward. "I'll see you later at the chapel."

Her cart was packed with all the things she needed to take with her into her new home - her valuables, her clothes, some housewares or simply things that were dear to her. The most important thing today was her wedding dress that she had folded carefully, putting it on top in her clothes bag.

She would have enough time to change into it when she arrived at the chapel.

The road was deserted and there were only a few travelers passing her on their way to and from Los Angeles. The horse was going at a steady pace and everything was fine. Like this, she would have plenty of time to change into her dress and wait for Diego to arrive.

Dreaming about her upcoming wedding, she urged her horse to go faster, but then it happened. A small animal suddenly appeared in front of the horse, crossing the road. The startled horse sidestepped and the cart tilted to the side as it was pulled off the road. Victoria pulled the reigns to stop the horse, but it was already too late. With an audible crack the bolt broke that fixed the wheel to the cart and the wheel fell off. Victoria jumped off the cart in time, or she would have joined her luggage and boxes sliding down the cart, tumbling on the ground, creating a big heap on the side of the cart, burying the wheel under it.

"Oh no!" Victoria exclaimed at the sight of the mess. With tears in her eyes, she began to move everything to the side to uncover the wheel. Some of the boxes were very heavy, and she had problems moving them. They were too big to be lifted by her, and she could only pull them a little.

"Please move," she pleaded, as she pulled at a large wooden trunk, unable to move it. Pulling again and again, she finally realized that it was in vain. Two servants at the de la Vega hacienda had lifted it on the cart and for a woman alone it was impossible. She wouldn't be able to move everything aside and fix the wheel at the cart. The road was deserted and the only other travelers she had seen on the road had passed her half an hour ago.

When she had stacked aside all the luggage she was able to handle, there was nothing more to do, but wait. Nearly an hour had passed while she had moved the boxes and tried to get to the wheel. The wheel was still under the big trunk, and she knew she'd never make it in time for the wedding.

What would Diego think if she didn't come? Would he believe she had changed her mind? More than once he had offered to take back her proposal if she didn't believe in their future together.

As it became later and later, Victoria grew more and more desperate. What could she do now?

Continue to wait for travelers to help her? Or return to Los Angeles, abandoning all her valuables? She was about half way between the de la Vega hacienda and the meeting point with Felipe. Why hadn't she accepted the offer to have Felipe accompany her? She chided herself.

Just as she had started to untether the horse from the the cart, she heard the sound of approaching horses. Grabbing her pistol, she waited for the riders to come nearer. When she identified them as a group of soldiers with Mendoza in the lead, coming from Los Angeles, she relaxed and put back the pistol that she stored in reach under the cart's seat,.

"Señorita Victoria, what happened? Are you all right?" Mendoza asked her, stopping with his horse next to her.

"Thank you, Mendoza. I'm unharmed, but my cart is broken. The wheel came off and all my luggage with it," Victoria said distressed, and yet relieved to see the soldiers.

"We will help you, Señorita," Mendoza assured her, before he ordered his men to dismount and take care of the cart and the luggage.

"Mendoza, I have never been so happy to see you," Victoria said, gratefully.

The soldiers moved the trunk from the wheel, and one of the privates examined the damage to the cart.

"Sergeant, the bolt of the wheel is broken. It needs to be replaced."

"Do you have a spare one, Señorita?" Mendoza questioned Victoria, who shook her head, unhappily.

"Private Gomez, ride back to the Montero farm and try to get a replacement. In the meantime we will take a break and wait for your return."

Mendoza led his horse into the shade at the side of the road, and his men followed suit, except for the private, who was ordered to ride back, while his officer and comrades pulled out their water flasks and their meal.

"It's close to noon and time for a rest," Mendoza explained, though it was still mid morning. "Do you want to eat too?"

Victoria shook her head, she was too nervous to eat anything at all, trying not to show her impatience for the private to return and to continue with her drive. About forty minutes later, the private returned with a new bolt, and another half hour later the wheel was fixed and the luggage was back on the cart.

"Thank you, Mendoza," Victoria said gratefully. "I wouldn't have known what to do without you and your men."

"Señorita, you were lucky that we passed by here at this hour, but we were glad to help. You let us have a drink in your tavern, putting it on the slate often enough. Now, we could repay you for your kindness," Mendoza grinned at her. "While we are here, we will accompany you on your way to Santa Paula."

"That's not necessary, Mendoza," Victoria declined. "Now, that my wagon is fixed, I can continue on my own. I know the way to Santa Paula, and I have driven there alone often enough."

"Take it as our farewell gift, Señorita," Mendoza smiled. "I could not help you recently when Zorro was no longer there, but I will make sure you get to Santa Paula safely. The alcalde ordered us to patrol the Camino Real north of Los Angeles, so we are going basically the same way."

"Thank you, Mendoza," Victoria didn't know how she could refuse this offer. "But, it's really not necessary."

"Oh, Señorita, I don't mind," Mendoza smiled. "We can have a nice chat in the meantime. You can tell me what you think about my latest recipe for imported beans, and I'm curious about your plans for the future. Will you live with your brother in Mexico City? What will you do there? Open a new tavern?" Mendoza started to question her about her future while they were heading north.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _Happy New Year to Everyone! This is the betaed version to replace the previous one. I have to thank my beta msjed2 for taking the time to beta this story during holiday season and everything she taught me about English grammar and punctuation. If you find some errors, please inform me by PM.  
I want to thank everyone for their constant reviewing. Some I have contacted by PM, but also thanks go to the guest reviewers Dapet and Guest._


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Diego nervously walked up and down in front of the chapel. Dressed in a black suit with golden embroideries along the sleeves and legs, he waited for Victoria. His father had arrived half an hour ago, and Victoria should have arrived much earlier. What kept her?

It was already close to noon, the time the wedding was scheduled, and Victoria hadn't arrived. His father had spoken with her before she had left the de la Vega hacienda, and everything had been fine.

What had happened? Why hadn't she come? Had something delayed her, or even worse, had she changed her mind about the wedding?

As noon passed by, his fear increased that she wouldn't come at all. The situation reminded him of the day when he had waited in vain for Zafira at the chapel, and she hadn't come.

"Where is she, Father?" Diego asked. "Did Victoria say anything when you said goodbye to her at the hacienda?"

"No, Diego, I told you that before. She seemed to be in a good mood, and there was no indication that she had changed her mind about you. She would have found a moment to tell me."

"But, why didn't she come? She should have been here more than an hour ago!"

"Maybe something has delayed her, a blockage of the road or something. Please, Diego, you're making me nervous with all your walking up and down. Please, sit down. Victoria will come, I'm sure of it!"

"And, if she doesn't? She may finally have realized that she can't go back to Los Angeles if she marries me. Maybe she doesn't want to give up her life to live with someone like me." Diego tugged at his right arm to emphasize what he meant.

"Diego, please. Victoria loves you. You can't doubt her love. She was so devastated when Zorro set her free again, and she was asking for your return all the time when you had us believing you were at the northern estates."

"I believe you, Father, but why isn't she here?" Diego started to pace up and down again. "This time I'm not going to wait until the evening for a woman who does not come to her wedding!"

"This time? What do you mean by that?"

Diego sat down again. "There was a woman in Madrid. I thought I loved her, and I asked her to marry me. As she didn't want to wait until I had finished my studies, we agreed to marry the next day, and I waited for her at a chapel near Madrid."

"And, what happened? Why didn't you get married?" Alejandro asked, curiously.

"She didn't come. I waited and waited for her, until it was evening, and I finally had to realize that she wouldn't appear. The next day I got your letter calling me home."

"Did you ever find out why she didn't come?"

"Only last year when she passed through Los Angeles. She told me that her brother had been fatally injured, and she nursed him until he died two weeks later. When he died, she was trapped in Segovia because of the revolution. She told me she left me a message, but I never got it. She assured me that she still loved me, but she was married to Correna, the revolutionary, and I was in love with Victoria."

"You never told me about it, Diego." Alejandro said, astonished. "When did you meet her again, and why didn't I meet her?

"It was shortly after Cordoba was arrested. You weren't in Los Angeles, because you were giving your testimony in Monterey."

"I think there is a lot you haven't told me, Diego. Maybe we can have real conversations in the future, now that I know? I want to be there for you if you let me be a part of your life."

"I will try, Father." Diego paced up and down again. "Where is Victoria? I need to find out. Will you lend me your horse?"

"Of course, Diego. What are you planning? Do you want to ride to her? I thought you didn't want to be seen?"

"Not far from the crossroad, where Felipe and Victoria are planning to meet, is a small hill that is a good vantage point to overlook the Camino Real. From there, I can watch the crossroad and see Victoria and Felipe without being seen myself. If I can't spot her, I will ride down the road to see if Victoria needs my help."

Z Z Z

It took Diego only a short time to get to the hill he mentioned. From his scouting as Zorro, he knew the area well, and he left Dulcinea at the bottom of the hill, out of sight from the road.

Below him, the Camino Real made a slight bend to the left and then right again behind another hill, before heading straight for Santa Paula. The crossroad was at the bottom of the other hill, marking the border between the Los Angeles territory and the Santa Paula territory.

Diego had made sure that his hacienda wasn't in the Los Angeles territory, so the alcalde wouldn't go there as they had no jurisdiction outside of Los Angeles.

From his vantage point he had a good view of the comings and goings on the road without being seen while he lay flat on the ground.

There were several riders on the road coming from Santa Paula, and there was a cart coming from Los Angeles. As it came closer, he identified it as Victoria's. Finally! She was coming! What had taken her so long? All she needed to do now was to take a right turn to the road that led in his direction.

Eagerly, he waited for her to take the road towards him, but what he saw shocked him. Instead of leaving the Camino Real, Victoria hesitated for a moment at the crossroad, slowing her cart, before she made her horse drive on to Santa Paula.

Did she miss the crossroad? No, she knew the road well from her travels to and from the bank in Santa Paula and the other times she had visited him before during the last two weeks. What was she doing? Had she changed her mind about the wedding and decided to go to Santa Paula for real, leaving him?

Devastated, he watched her cart vanish behind the bend to Santa Paula. Without looking back, he stumbled down the hill to the spot where he had left Dulcinea, mounting her without using the stirrups.

At first, he thought of riding back to the chapel directly, but then he remembered Felipe who was waiting for Victoria. Turning Dulcinea around, he rode to the small grove that was a little way off the crossroad.

"Victoria hasn't come yet, Diego," Felipe signed, when he recognized him.

"I know, and I think you can stop waiting, Felipe," Diego said, angrily. "Victoria won't come!"

"Why? What happened?" Felipe asked, shocked. "What did your father tell you?"

"Father knows nothing. I was looking out for Victoria on the small hill nearby," Diego pointed at the hill a way back, and Felipe nodded, being familiar with the area. "I saw Victoria drive on to Santa Paula. She has changed her mind!"

"How can you know that? You haven't talked to her!" Felipe asked, incredulously.

"I know what I have seen! It's enough. I told her I'd understand if she changed her mind and didn't come. I'll inform Father, and then I'm going home." Diego said, hurt. "Are you coming, too?"

Felipe shook his head. "If you don't want to talk with Victoria, then I will. I don't believe that she won't come."

Felipe mounted his own horse and rode down the road to follow Victoria.

Z Z Z

Not much later, Diego returned to the chapel where his father was waiting.

"Where's Victoria, Diego? What's wrong? Why didn't she come with you? Did you miss her?"

"We can go home now, Father. The wedding is called off," Diego said, brusquely, as he dismounted from Dulcinea.

"Why? What has happened, Diego? Did you meet her? What did Victoria say?"

"No, I haven't talked to her, but I saw her drive by the crossroad where she was supposed to leave the main road. For a moment I thought she might have missed it, but I saw her slow down shortly before the bend, looking down the road leading here, but then she urged her horse to go faster again, heading for Santa Paula. I told her I would understand if she didn't come to the wedding. She doesn't come, so I know that she has changed her mind."

"There must be a reasonable explanation for it. You should talk to her, Diego."

"What kind of explanation could that be?" he shouted, angrily. "That she doesn't love me enough to marry me? I don't need to hear that from her. Her actions speak louder than words!" The hurt in his voice was audible. "It's not the first time she has changed her mind about a wedding. Maybe she panicked when she realized that there will be no turning back. You'll never know what is in a woman's mind."

"I still can't believe that from Victoria. She said nothing in the morning when she drove away from the hacienda," Alejandro was confused, feeling for his son. "What will you do now, Diego? Can I help you?"

"I only want to go home, Father. Don't ask me anything right now." With determined steps that spoke of his anger and hurt, Diego returned to his carriage to drive back to his hacienda. Alejandro thought about following him, but he wasn't sure if Diego would welcome his company, hurt as he was.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

As soon as the road widened again after the bend, Victoria turned her cart around to return to the crossroad where she wanted to meet with Felipe. Before she reached it, Victoria was stopped by Felipe, who signed at her angrily. In his agitated state, his signs were too fast for her to understand.

"What is going on, Felipe? I can't understand what you are trying to tell me. I'm sorry that I'm late, but I had a broken wheel, and it took me some time to get it fixed."

Felipe took her by the arm and pulled at it, frustrated that she didn't understand him.

"Why.. did.. you.. leave.. Diego?" he said slowly and with effort.

Victoria looked at Felipe with horror. "Diego thinks that I left him?"

Felipe nodded and signed again. "He saw me taking the road to Santa Paula?"

When Felipe nodded again, she felt a sense of dread. "Oh no, that can't be! Diego must know that I love him. Where is he now?"

"At the hacienda," Felipe signed. "What will you do?"

"I need to go after him and tell him that I still love him," Victoria declared.

"Do you want to marry him?" Felipe questioned her.

"Yes, I love him, and I need to persuade him of it," Victoria answered, alarmed.

Felipe smiled at her, relieved. "There is no more time to lose. You know the way to Diego's hacienda from here?" he signed.

Victoria nodded.

"I will get Don Alejandro back to the chapel if you come back with Diego! Agreed?" Felipe suggested.

"I can't thank you enough, Felipe, for all that you are doing for me and Diego," Victoria said gratefully.

Z Z Z

Victoria found Diego standing at Toronado's corral, his face buried in Toronado's neck, softly speaking to his horse. Stepping next to him, she put her hand on his arm.

"Diego, please, I'm sorry." He turned around at her words, and she could see the tears in his eyes.

"What do you want here, Victoria?" Diego asked, hoarsely.

"Please, Diego, it was a misunderstanding. I wasn't there, because I couldn't come earlier. Please, listen to me." Victoria pleaded. "I know you're hurt, because you think I don't want to marry you, but I do."

"You do?" Diego stared at her. "But, why did you drive on to Santa Paula instead of taking the road to the chapel?"

"My wheel broke, and Mendoza and his men stopped by and helped me fix it. Mendoza declared that he wanted to accompany me to Santa Paula to make sure I arrived there safely. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. He said our friendship required that he protected me as a farewell gift. The soldiers accompanied me all the way north, and only shortly before the crossroad did they leave me alone. You probably didn't see them from where you were watching, but I was still in sight of them, and they would have seen me taking the side road instead of driving on," Victoria explained.

"Please, Diego, I had no other chance but to pretend I was really going to Santa Paula. When I was sure nobody saw me, I turned my cart around and took the road to the chapel. I met Felipe, and he told me that you had left, assuming I had changed my mind."

"Then, you still want to marry me, Victoria? It's only because of Mendoza that you didn't come earlier?"

"Yes, Diego, yes..," she couldn't say more as he closed her mouth with his kiss. She clung to him, caressing him and assuring him that she wouldn't leave. Diego had never kissed her like this before, not even on the day she had discovered his identity, and she felt how much he had been hurting. Now, he was holding her tight with all the strength he had recovered in the past weeks, claiming her mouth with his passionate kiss.

"I want you, Victoria, and I didn't know what to do when I thought I had lost you again." Diego pressed her against his chest as if he would lose her the moment he let her go. "From today on, I'll never let you go again, Victoria." He swayed her possessively in his arms.

"Are you coming back to the chapel with me, Diego?" She tenderly cupped his cheek with her hand.

"I want nothing else," Diego couldn't take his eyes from her, pressing her soft body against his chest. "But, my father, he will already be on his way back to Los Angeles."

"Felipe is following him to bring him back while I was driving here to get you," Victoria informed him.

"We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer," Diego smiled. "The padre was already wondering what was going on." Diego released her and took her by the hand, walking over to her cart. Before he could help her on the seat, Victoria stopped him.

"Wait! I am not ready yet. I need a few more minutes."

"What do you mean _you're not ready_?" Diego asked her, confused. "Do you want to think about it again?"

"No, Diego, that's not it," Victoria assured him. "It's only.. I need to change!"

"Change?"

"I need to change into my wedding dress!" She explained. "I wanted to change at the chapel, but it's a bit awkward there. Will you wait here while I change upstairs in my room?"

"Should I see you in your dress before the ceremony?" Diego inquired, amused by her female inclination to delay the wedding a bit longer rather than wear anything other than her finest dress.

"The wedding is an unusual one anyway, and I don't care for that tradition at all. You'll see me when I enter the church, and the short drive from here to the chapel together won't make a difference," Victoria stated. "I'll hurry! I promise!"

Without waiting for his reply, she grabbed her bag with her wedding dress and rushed into the house, leaving Diego waiting at the cart.

Z Z Z

An hour later, Diego and Victoria were standing at the altar, both dressed at their best, and giving their vows in the presence of Felipe and Alejandro.

Alejandro was relieved to have them finally married and to see their happy faces when they kissed after the ceremony.

"I love you, Diego. Husband!" Victoria whispered, happily, as they drew apart again, liking the sound of it.

"I love you, too, Victoria. Querida! You're my wife now, and I'll never let you go again." Diego smiled when Victoria slipped her hand in his as they walked out of the chapel.

Instead of a big feast, the couple had decided on a simpler meal that they had brought with them and put it on a table in the mission's garden.

Victoria had spent the last evening preparing dishes that could be eaten cold and would survive the drive to the chapel. Diego's cook, Maria, had done the same and filled a basket with a delicious meal. Alejandro had brought two bottles of his best wine that he had saved for the marriage of his son.

Now that the excitement was over, and they were married at last, it was time to relax and celebrate the happy occasion.

Talking happily, they enjoyed the meal, and Diego opened up, recounting some funny moments from his adventures as Zorro. It wasn't the splendorous party, Alejandro had always wanted to give for his son's wedding, but seeing Diego happy with his wife was all that counted now.

Due to the delay of the wedding, it was already late when they parted.

"Diego, Victoria, I wish you all the best for your marriage!" Alejandro embraced them both. "You deserve it after all you have been through. And please, let us meet from time to time, Diego. I miss you, son."

"I promise, Father, that we will keep you informed," Victoria assured Alejandro. "Don't worry, we won't keep you out of our lives. Thank you for all, Father." She embraced him.

"I finally have you as my daughter, Victoria," Alejandro smiled. "I know you will be happy with each other. Now, I can look forward to grandchildren." He winked at Diego.

"Father, please," Diego was too nervous, thinking of the wedding night, to be amused about his father's teasing.

"You must allow an old man some fun on his son's wedding," Alejandro defended himself. "But, I won't keep you any longer." He winked again, and Felipe couldn't suppress a grin either as they waved each other goodbye.

Felipe and Alejandro rode to the de la Vega hacienda, and Diego and Victoria drove to their own home.

Z Z Z

When they arrived in front of their hacienda, Diego thought about helping Victoria down from the carriage, but after staring at her, he changed his mind and stopped in his movement, before she could step down on the ground.

"Is something wrong, Diego?" Victoria asked, surprised, when Diego held her back with his outstretched arm.

"No, everything is all right," Diego grinned, mischievously, stepping closer to the carriage where Victoria was standing on the upper step, waiting to get down. "It's easier to kiss when you're at the same height," he teased, kissing her. As expected, Victoria put her arms around his neck.

"Hold on tight," he commanded, pulling her close.

"What are you up to, Diego?" Victoria asked, confused, but did as she was asked. Diego grinned and put his left arm strongly around her back.

"This is not exactly bridal style, but I will carry you into the house," he smiled. "Hold on!"

As Victoria clung to him with all her strength, he carried her to the house. "Hold on!" he urged her, as they reached the threshold, and she was already sliding to the ground. Though her feet were only inches above the ground, they didn't touch it, which was all that mattered. Once they were inside, Diego let her slip to her feet, unable to hold her any longer.

"Oh, Diego, you're wonderful. I never expected that," Victoria marveled.

"You didn't get the wedding you dreamed of, Querida, but I can try my best to do the rest," he smiled, relieved that his idea had worked.

Taking her by the hand, he led her to his room, closing the door behind them. When Diego took her in his arms to kiss her, he felt her reluctance.

"Something wrong?" he asked her.

"No, just nervous," she pretended. How could she tell him that she was more than nervous? When they met before she could be sure that he would never go farther than kissing her, always stopping before they went too far.

But now – now they were married, and she didn't know what to do. Her mother had died when she had only been fifteen. Later, Alicia had promised her to talk with her before she married, but because she had kept her wedding plans secret,Victoria couldn't talk with her without revealing it. The rude remarks about women she had overheard from some men in the tavern, and the one attempt to rape her a few months ago had scared her.

"I'm nervous, too," Diego admitted, a bit self-conscious.

"I don't know...," she started, unsure how to tell him.

"We will work it out," he whispered softly, before he kissed her again. "Trust me, I love you."

Knowing, that she could trust him and that he was nervous too, lessened her tension, making her relax enough to return his kisses and his touches.

Taking their time, they helped each other out of their clothes as their passion began to flare. It felt good to touch naked skin without any cloth between them and to explore each other.

Much later, Diego felt her tears on his naked chest. "Did I hurt you?" he asked, concerned.

"No, I'm crying, because I'm happy," Victoria explained, as Diego looked at her, confused. "I was scared before, but now I feel wonderful. I understand now why it's called lovemaking. I love you, Diego."

"I love you, too, Victoria," he whispered as he drew her closer, falling asleep.

Z Z Z


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Two days after the wedding Diego and Victoria embarked on a ship to San Diego to consult the doctor there. The boat trip took them five days, which was much faster and comfortable than by coach. Another advantage was that they did not have to pass through Los Angles by driving directly to the harbor in San Buenaventura.

Though they were happy to be married to each other, life together came with sometimes difficult adjustments.

Diego hadn't taken Rodrigo (his man servant) on their honeymoon, and his pride made it difficult to accept help from his wife. With his arm no longer wrapped and in a sling, he tried to move it and pretend that everything was normal. He became frustrated when he couldn't do what he wanted with the arm, and Victoria became annoyed when he wouldn't accept her help. It took time, patience, and frustration on both sides as they worked to find a balance where Victoria didn't try to help him with everything, and Diego wasn't trying to do everything on his own.

Z Z Z

The morning after their arrival Diego went to the doctor while Victoria promised to wait for Diego's return in the tavern they had chosen for their stay.

Diego was devastated on his return from the doctor. Depressed, he sat down on the chair in their room, bracing his forefront in his hand.

"What did he say?" Victoria asked, sympathetically, pulling her own chair next to his.

Diego raised his head to look at her. "I don't know why, but I had hoped that the doctor would be able to fix it...," his despair was audible.

"But..?" Victoria prompted him.

"The doctor said that the bones have healed fine, but one of the tendons is torn and that he can't operate on it. I will never be able to fully lift my arm again. The only thing he can do is to show me some exercises to regain some strength and flexibility."

Diego was close to tears. "It's all over, Victoria," he said, desperately. "There is no more hope. It will never heal. I'll never be able to fight with the arm again. There will be no more Zorro." He sat down at the table bracing his head in his hand. "Maybe you would be better off without me."

"Don't say that, Diego," Victoria went over to him, sitting down on his lap. She hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Doctor Rodriguez told you not to expect too much. I knew that before we married, and it doesn't change anything. I'm here for you, and I love you," she assured him.

"Show me how much," he whispered, kissing her passionately. No longer shy or nervous after being married for a week, Victoria returned the kiss with equal passion as she opened the front of her dress and started to undress them both.

Z Z Z

After they had stayed in their room for most of the day, Diego returned to the doctor to talk with him again the next morning. The doctor showed him some exercises to improve the flexibility of the muscles and strengthen them again after they hadn't been used during the weeks the bones were mending. Diego had to meet the doctor every day for the exercises and Victoria some times accompanied him, waiting patiently until the doctor was finished.

There was little progress and more than once Diego was about to give up, frustrated.

"There is no change at all, Victoria," Diego said, discouraged, walking home with her from the doctor. "I still can't move my arm any more than I could before. These exercises are of no use!"

"Please, Diego, don't give up so easily. The doctor said it would improve, but you have to be patient and work on it."

"What use is it if I can never fight again? Never use a sword with that arm?"

"Diego, you know it's not only about fighting," Victoria stated. "Let me help you with the exercises. I have seen how they are done while I was waiting for you. If you do the exercises not only with the doctor in the morning, but again with me in the afternoon, it will improve faster."

"Do you think you can take over the doctor's part?" Diego asked, expectantly.

"I am not a well-bred noblewoman who has done nothing in her life except some embroidery," Victoria countered. "I never thought that my working in the tavern would be an asset, but now I can help you, Diego," she encouraged him. "I have strong arms and will be able to lift your arm during the exercises."

"Yes, I know. You have been carrying dishes and working in your tavern instead of doing embroidery." Diego reached for her hand and kissed it. "I always admired how you managed it. I can be very lucky that I got you instead of one the caballeros' daughters my father wanted me to marry."

"Then you will continue?" Victoria asked.

"I won't give up when I have you by my side," he smiled at her, no longer so despondent as before.

With Victoria's support Diego continued and intensified his exercises, making progress with his arm though it went very slowly. The doctor encouraged him, telling him that he had to be patient.

Z Z Z

After staying more than four weeks in San Diego, they boarded the ship north for their five-days trip home. In the morning when Victoria woke up, she felt sick and had to throw up.

"It must be something I ate or the moving of the ship," she stated, feeling miserable as she lay back on the pillow.

"Are you sure, Victoria?" Diego asked, suspiciously. "The sea is calm compared to our initial journey, and you weren't seasick."

"Then, it has to be the food that was bad," she declared.

"I had the same as you, and there was nothing wrong with the food. And weren't you sick the last two mornings as well, before we boarded the ship?" Diego continued.

"I don't know what you're getting at, Diego," Victoria asked, confused.

"I think you know what I'm talking about, Victoria," Diego said, a bit irritated. "When did you have your moon flow the last time?"

"Are you asking that because we can't make love during that time? I don't really want to discuss that with you," she said, embarrassed.

"Victoria, please, I only want to know if you are pregnant. We are married for about six weeks now, and it is possible," Diego said, gently.

"Pregnant?" Victoria asked, confused. "Why do you think I am pregnant? And what have all these questions to do with it?"

Diego stared at her, surprised. "I thought you knew? Didn't your mother talk with you about any of this?"

Embarrassed, Victoria shook her head. "No, she didn't. I had just become a woman, and she told me what to do about it, promising to talk with me when there was time. Shortly after that, she was killed, and then there was no one I could talk to." Victoria became sad when she thought about the death of her mother.

"Everyone assumed my mother had talked to me, and that I knew everything, working in a tavern. Alicia, my helper, offered to talk with me before my wedding, but I had to keep my wedding plans a secret from her." Ashamed, she turned her head away.

"Victoria, I'm sorry," Diego gently put his hand on her shoulder. "I simply thought you knew. No wonder you were so nervous on our wedding night."

"Then, you don't think I'm stupid?" Victoria turned her head to face him.

"No, never," he assured her. "It wasn't your fault that your mother was killed when you were so young."

"Would you..,would you …," she started, hesitantly.

"Would I what?" Diego prompted her.

"Would you please explain it to me?" she asked, still embarrassed. "I don't want to talk about it with Doctor Rodriguez because I hardly know him. I didn't understand your questions, but you knew what you were talking about."

"Maybe you should talk about some of the details with another woman, but I can tell you what I learned during my time in Spain." Diego tried to overcome his own embarrassment as he explained to her why he suspected her to be pregnant. That pregnant women were often sick in the morning and that their moon flow would not come any longer.

"Then I will be sick in the morning for the next months?" Victoria asked, feeling even more miserable at the prospect.

"I don't know, Victoria. I think you will be sick for some time in the morning if you're really pregnant."

"How do you know all this? Was this part of your medical studies?" she inquired, curiously.

Diego grinned. "No, it wasn't part of my studies. Some of my friends at the university got married during their time there or were having an affair, and when I told them of my plans to get married they shared their experiences with me and made sure I knew everything I needed to know."

Diego thought of writing a letter to his friends in Madrid to thank them for their helpful advice for his wedding night.

Victoria didn't comment on it, as she didn't want to think about the possibility that Diego had nearly married another woman.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Diego looked at her pale face.

"Would you mind going ahead to breakfast without me? I'll join you later, but I need some time now."

After Diego had left, Victoria lay back in the covers. With her hand she stroked across her stomach, trying to get used to the idea of having a child. She had always wanted to have children, but she had never thought about the details of a pregnancy.

Diego's questions earlier made sense after he had explained it to her, but she still felt embarrassed that she had been so ignorant and had to talk about it with a man, even though he was her husband.

After a while she no longer felt any nausea when she got up, and she actually felt hungry. Taking her time, she dressed and joined Diego in the dining room.

"Are you feeling better?" Diego asked her when she sat down at the table opposite to him.

"Yes, I think I can eat again," she smiled, covering his hand with hers. "Thank you for being so patient with me. I will need some time to get used to everything. So much has changed in the last few weeks. Only two moths ago I thought I'd never see you again, and now I'm here with you returning from my honeymoon, expecting your child."

"I understand, Victoria. I never hoped you could love the man behind the mask after all that happened. I couldn't have wished for more than having you here with me. And now the prospect of a child! You make me very happy." Diego kissed her hand, wishing they were alone in their room.

"I'm happy too, Diego," she smiled at him, lovingly.

Z Z Z

Victoria continued to be sick the next mornings on board the ship, confirming Diego's suspicion that she was pregnant. As Victoria started to get used to it, trying to adjust in her mind with the sudden changes in her life, she realized that she wasn't the only one who was affected by the pregnancy.

It took her some days to notice the positive effect the news had on Diego. He seemed to be in a better mood than before, no longer so depressed. While doing his exercises with his arm, he was relentless against himself and practiced with renewed energy.

When she mentioned it to him, Diego smiled at her. "I have you and the baby to care for now. I can't let you down when you are the most important person in my life. You give me a reason to live and to fight. You always have. I'm sorry it took me so long to come around again."

"I understand, Diego. It's not so easy for you to cope with your injury, and you needed the time." Victoria assured him. "I always believed in you."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Diego and Victoria disembarked the ship at the harbor in San Buenaventura to take the coach to the San Fernando where Rodrigo would be waiting for them to drive them to their hacienda.

The coach was ready to depart when Victoria and Diego finally got on it, after the driver had stored their luggage on the top, grumbling about extra work and lazy caballeros, until he realized that Diego couldn't lift the luggage with his right arm.

Their travel companions consisted of an elderly nun, and a wealthy looking tradesman with his wife and their five year-old boy. The nun and the family had already occupied most of the seats. The two women occupied the seats facing forward, with the boy sitting in between them. The tradesman, who had introduced himself as Miguel Jimenez from San Gabriel, sat opposite his wife and child, leaving only the two places next to him, facing backward.

Diego sat down in the center, leaving the place at the window to Victoria.

"We're in for trouble," Diego whispered to Victoria, shortly after they had left San Buenaventura.

"What do you mean, Diego?" Victoria whispered.

"I saw the driver make signs at three men we passed by when we left the pueblo."

"Do you think there will be an attack on the coach? There were talks about attacks on public coaches in the tavern in San Buenaventura."

"I could be wrong, but I want to be prepared."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I have scouted this area before. The best place for an ambush is about halfway between here and San Fernando. We need to stop before we reach that point, so I can thwart their plan, but I need your help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to feign sickness shortly before we get there."

"I don't think that will be a problem," Victoria said miserably. "I think I may not even have to feign it."

"I will make the driver stop before we reach the ambush."

"I'll be ready, Diego." Victoria assured him.

Diego put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, closely watching the area outside to be prepared when they reached the possible ambush site.

"We need to stop now," Diego whispered to Victoria after they had driven for some time. "Are you ready?" Victoria nodded slightly.

"Driver, we need to stop!" Diego put his head through the window, shouting out loud.

"Why do you want to stop?" The nun opposite of them asked.

"My wife is not feeling well, she needs to get fresh air," Diego explained.

"We haven't even traveled half way, and you already want to stop?" The nun countered. "If we always stop if someone isn't feeling well, then we'd never get anywhere with a coach! Can't your wife hold on until we make the next regular stop? I need to take another coach from San Fernando!"

"I'm sorry, Sister, but we need to stop now," Diego said, determined, knowing that the coach was nearing the ambush site.

"I may have to throw up," Victoria added, making a miserable face.

"That wouldn't be very favorable. The stink would make everyone inside sick," the nun said dryly. "We should make a stop." She rose from her seat, so she could reach the front wall of the carriage. With her fist she energetically knocked at it several times. "Driver, stop the coach!" She shouted in a loud voice, knocking again.

At the same time Diego put his head through the window, "Driver, you have to stop!"

At first the driver didn't react, pretending not to hear them. When the yelling and shouting from the passengers continued, he slowed down the coach and finally came to a halt.

"What's the matter with you?" the driver barked angrily at the passengers. "What is all this yelling and knocking about?"

"My wife isn't feeling well," Diego explained, who had already gotten out of the coach, helping Victoria out. Pretending to be sick, Victoria walked away from the coach toward some rocks, leaning against them.

"I can't always stop if one of my passengers isn't feeling well or needs to step out. I'd never arrive anywhere," the driver snapped at Diego. "Tell your wife to get back into the coach, so we can continue!"

"I think not!" Diego had climbed on the carriage roof and retrieved his sword out of the luggage. With his sword drawn he faced the driver. "We won't go anywhere until you tell us what you have planned!"

"What do you mean?" the driver feigned surprise. "I'm only driving this coach to San Fernando. There's no reason to attack me!"

"What are you doing, Señor Lopez?" Jimenez asked, confused. "Why are you threatening the driver and keeping us from going on?"

"Because I am very sure that this man is in league with some bandits who plan to attack our coach!"

"You have no proof for that, Señor," the driver protested. "Señor Jimenez," the driver addressed the tradesman, "Please help me convince this señor, who has obviously gone crazy, that we need to continue now."

"Señor Lopez, the driver is right," Jimenez addressed Diego. "We need to continue. Would you please stop threatening the driver and let us drive on?"

"I have no time to explain right now, but be assured that I'm right," Diego replied, resheating his sword and knocking out the driver with his fist. After the man dropped to the ground, he and Victoria quickly tied him up.

Diego handed her a pistol. "Victoria make sure that the driver does not escape or that the other passengers free him. I need to look for the other bandits."

Victoria pointed the pistol at the driver. "If anyone moves, the man will die!"

"Señora Lopez, this is crazy. You surely don't want to kill this man!" Jimenez tried to reason with her. "I don't think you have it in you to kill someone!"

"My husband and I are only trying to save your lives, and if it requires me to fire the pistol, I will do it!" Victoria said in a voice that convinced them she meant what she said.

The encounter had taken more time than Diego had anticipated, and the other three bandits had grown impatient waiting for the coach to arrive at the ambush. Seeing their comrade tied up and threatened with a pistol, they didn't hesitate to attack Diego, the only one with a sword.

"You should give up right now, Señor," one of the bandits growled at Diego, angry to have their ambush thwarted. "We may spare your life and that of your woman." He pointed at Victoria, still aiming at the driver, who had regained consciousness, finding himself bound.

Instead of accepting defeat, Diego laughed at them. "I think it's you, Señores, who should give up, or I will be the only one still standing in a few minutes."

The bandits stared at him incredulously. "You expect us to give up? What do you think you can do? We outnumber you three to one! And you are only a crippled man trying to fight with his left hand!" Their leader shouted, joined by laughter from his fellows. The other passengers stared at him as well. Though they were now convinced that the attack Diego had described wasn't in his imagination, they didn't believe there was any hope for them. The woman held her son close to her, afraid they might be killed.

Diego had climbed on a small boulder, giving the impression that he was retreating. The bandits had surrounded him from three sides, and with the rocks at his back there was no way to go. Diego only grinned down on them and jumped from his higher position. With a backflip turning around in the air, he gracefully landed on the ground behind the three men. With the hilt of his sword he hit two of them on their head, who dropped to the ground, unconscious. The third man attacked Diego with his sword, believing he could overcome Diego easily, who was fighting only with his left hand, a certain disadvantage for any man who normally uses his right hand for fighting. But instead of clumsy parries, the bandit faced an advanced swordsman who was well trained with his left hand.

"Oh, Señor," Diego mocked him, " are you willing to give up now, or do you want some lessons in sword fighting?" Diego parried each attack without effort, only playing with the man. "Maybe you'd be so grateful to tell us what you and your comrades had planned for our coach? Did you only plan to rob us, or were you planning to kill us too?"

The man grunted from the effort of parrying Diego's attacks and started to breathe faster. "Juan," he pointed at the driver, " told us you were easy prey. "A crippled man, three women and a child and a rich tradesman who doesn't look like a fighter. If you hadn't offered any resistance, we would have simply have relieved you of your valuables. We only kill when it's necessary."

"That's a noble approach I share with you, Señor. I try to avoid killing too," Diego agreed. "That's why you're still alive. I'll let the judge in San Fernando decide your fate." Circling his sword around the bandit's blade, Diego made him drop his weapon with a painful cry, before the man was knocked out as well.

The other passengers had already manacled the other bandits and instantly went over to the last one to tie him up with the other villains.

"Señor Lopez," Jimenez addressed him, "I must thank you for saving us. When you attacked the driver after the forced stop, we all thought that you and your wife had gone crazy, but you proved us wrong. How did you know?"

The other passengers surrounded him curiously, and also the bandits on the grounds were listening, trying to find out what had given them away.

"When to coach left the harbor, I saw these three men standing by the road," Diego pointed at the men who had attacked him, "making signs. Our driver must have given them descriptions of the passengers of the coach, and they were repeating them to make sure they understood correctly."

"How did you know that?" the driver asked.

"You described a man with only one arm, who could only be me, and made signs for women and a nun. That made me curious. Why would anyone describe me? Who would take an interest in the passengers of this coach?"

"You're right, Señor," Jimenez agreed, "that is, in fact, suspicious. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Would you have believed me?" Diego asked, and the doubting face of the man was answer enough.

"Your wife was part of the plan I assume?" the nun asked.

"I needed an excuse to stop the coach before it reached the most possible ambush site on the road. I must thank you, Señoras, for helping me in that." Diego grinned.

"Though I didn't like how you used us to stop the coach," the nun stated, "I am grateful for saving us, Señor Lopez."

"At your service," Diego bowed.

"You were marvelous, Señor," the little boy stared at him with open admiration. "I always wanted to be like Zorro, the greatest swordsman in California, but I'd rather be like you. Zorro can't be better than you with only one arm. One day I, Manuel Jimenez, will be the greatest swordsman in California and fight for the poor! "

Diego only laughed and bowed. "I'm honored, my boy." Victoria smiled and whispered in Diego's ear. "If he only knew! As you can see, you're still the greatest swordsman in California. Nothing can change who you are!" Diego smiled happily, as he put an arm around her.

Diego fetched the three horses the bandits had tied near the planned ambush site. On two horses he tied the four bandits, including the driver, riding on the third.

Jimenez offered to drive the coach to San Fernando while Diego rode alongside, keeping an eye on the bandits.

In San Fernando the bandits were handed over to the officials and put in jail. Though Diego tried to play it down, he couldn't keep the other passengers from praising him and telling everyone how he had saved them. After the passengers had given their testimony, they could travel on to their final destinations.

_Z Z Z _

After their return from their honeymoon, Diego and Victoria took the time to settle down in their new life. Victoria had to unpack all her belongings and get accustomed to living in her new home. They met with Alejandro at the chapel during the Sunday morning mass, shortly after their return, exchanging news. They didn't talk about the pregnancy as long as it wasn't confirmed, so they wouldn't rise false hopes.

Alejandro told them that the pueblo was on a steady decline, without a tavern and no Zorro to protect the people from unjust taxes and the oppression from the alcalde. The newspaper was missed as well, and the people complained about its absence. The alcalde was constantly in a sour mood, because he had to eat in the barracks all the time with the rest of the soldiers. Several times he had questioned Alejandro about the tavern, and if it was for sale, or if Victoria was coming back.

Though they missed Los Angeles, they were happy with their new life. Everything went smoothly for the next two months, and it appeared that they had nothing more to fear, having built their own private heaven in a remote area away from the pueblo of Los Angeles, but they hadn't counted on outside disturbances.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

The stage coach between Mexico City and Monterey continued its drive north after it had stopped in San Gabriel.

"Will you be leaving us at the next stop in Los Angeles, Señor Escalante?" Señora Martinez, an elderly widow, asked the young man on the seat opposite her.

"Yes, I'll be visiting my sister who runs the tavern there. Her food is the best in the area," he smiled in anticipation.

"Are you talking of Victoria's tavern in Los Angeles?" Señor Garcia asked, a middle aged man who had joined the travelers at the last stop in San Gabriel.

"Yes, Victoria, that's my sister. Do you know her tavern?" the young man confirmed.

"You must not be very close to your sister, Señor, that you don't know that the tavern has been closed for about four months now," Garcia stated.

"Closed? For four months? But that can't be!" Escalante said, confused.

"Believe me, Señor, it's true. I take the stage coach regularly from Monterey to visit my daughter who married a farmer near San Gabriel. You can be lucky to reach Los Angeles at all."

"What do you mean by that, Señor? Can you tell me what happened?"Escalante asked, concerned.

"All I know is that the owner of the tavern was driven out of town by the alcalde. Since she left Los Angeles, the tavern is closed, and the stage coach no longer stops in Los Angeles. Without a tavern to take refreshment, there is no use to make a stop and pay the traveler's tax on top of it. The stage coach stops now at an abandoned farm two miles south of Los Angeles to water the horses and give the passengers the opportunity to have a drink too, even if it's only water. But there's no tax on it as in Los Angeles," he grinned.

"The coach doesn't stop in Los Angeles anymore?" Escalante asked, surprised.

"No, you'll have to walk from the farm to Los Angeles while the coach continues to Santa Paula where the next stop is, driving around the pueblo. Depending on where you want to go, Santa Paula might be the better choice to get off the coach. The tavern in Santa Paula is not so bad, with edible food and decent prices. You could hire a horse at the stables in Santa Paula and ride to Los Angeles. That's what I would do."

"Thank you, Señor, for the advice, but I prefer to be closer to Los Angeles. I'm a soldier, and I'm used to walking." Escalante said thoughtfully. "I must admit that you have me concerned. Do you know what happened to my sister, the owner of the tavern?"

"I'm sorry, Señor, but I told you everything I know. I remember her from my previous stops in Los Angeles. She was a beautiful woman with a good humor, and the food was excellent. I heard something about taxes, but I don't remember the specifics."

Obviously concerned about his sister, Escalante stayed silent for the rest of the journey to Los Angeles. The farm where the coach stopped for the horses was an abandoned building that was in a desolate state.

A young woman and an old man who appeared to be her father came out of house to help to water the horses. The woman filled some wooden cups with water from the well, offering them to the travelers.

"Do you want some water, Señores?" the woman asked. "I have tamales, too."

Ramon accepted the cup, and taking a sip, he looked at the woman. "Don't I know you?" he asked.

"I don't know, Señor. I can't remember your face. Have you been traveling here before?" the woman asked.

"What's your name, Señorita?"

"Pilar Rosario, Señor. Why do you ask?"

"Pilar, of course, I should have recognized you! You lived on the same road as my family."

"Your family? Should I know you? Are you from Los Angles?"

"It's been some years since I have been to Los Angeles. I'm Ramon Escalante."

"Ramon, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you earlier. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way to visit my sister."

"Have you heard from Victoria? Do you know where she is?"

"No, the last letter I got from her was five months ago. My fellow travelers told me that the tavern was closed. I didn't know that. Didn't you used to work in the tavern with my sister? What are you doing here at this coach stop?"

"I thought you knew where she is," disappointed, Pilar looked at him. "I had hoped you could persuade her to reopen the tavern or sell it to someone else. Have you come to take over the tavern?"

"No, I haven't come for the tavern. I have joined the Mexican Army. Why are so you interested in the tavern, Pilar?"

"I need the money, and it's the only work I know. Since the tavern is closed, and the coach is stopping here, my father and I try to get some money by offering water and tamales to the travelers. It's not much, but I am trying to stay a respectable woman." Her despair was obvious, and Ramon wondered how long she could keep her honor under these circumstances, having noticed the glances of the male passengers and the driver.

"Is there no other work to be found in the pueblo?" he inquired.

Pilar shook her head. "You have been away so long, Ramon, you don't know how much has changed. As long as there was Zorro, the alcalde was held in check. Zorro made him rescind unjust taxes and fought his oppression. But now..," she suppressed her tears, "now there is nothing to save us from the alcalde. The people are getting poorer and poorer because of the taxes, and those who can are leaving the area. Without a tavern the coach won't stop at the pueblo, and without the coach no people are coming to Los Angeles to buy something from the local merchants or the tradespeople."

Depressed, she shook her head. "What can we do? The pueblo is in steady decline for months now. I would leave if I could, but where can I go? I need to take care of my father too. He is too old for heavy work anymore and the old farmhouse offers at least a shelter."

"I'd don't know what to say, Señorita," Ramon was shocked. "I never expected the situation in Los Angeles to be so bad. I'll try to talk with my sister about the tavern. Did she say where she went?"

"No, she said she was going to live with you in Mexico. I'm surprised she isn't with you."

"Didn't she leave any message?"

"I don't know. Don Alejandro might know something. She gave the tavern into his care when she left."

"What about Don Diego? Does he know something? He and Victoria were always good friends and she talked a lot about him in her letters."

"No, I don't think so. Don Diego left Los Angeles months ago, even before Victoria. There is a rumor that he and his father had a quarrel, and that's why Don Diego went to San Francisco. Don Alejandro is always sad these days, and I think he misses his son a lot."

Ramon finished his bowl of water, leaving a tip for Pilar. During his two miles walk to Los Angeles he thought about the disturbing news. Where was Victoria? He needed to find her and talk to her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"There is no use in spying through the windows, Señor. The tavern is closed," Sergeant Mendoza informed Ramon, who was trying to look inside.

"I heard that it was closed, but where is Victoria?" Ramon questioned. "Did she leave a message?"

"Señorita Escalante? She has left Los Angeles more than three months ago. The tavern was closed before that. It's now..." Mendoza took his fingers and started to count, "117 days since Victoria was arrested and closed the tavern. Since then I didn't have a good meal in the pueblo and I'm starving." Mendoza patted across his belly,

"I need to find my sister. Where did she go?"

"Your sister, Señor?"

"Si, I'm Ramon Escalante, Victoria's brother." Ramon introduced himself.

"Señor Escalante, it's a surprise to see you here in Los Angeles. I didn't recognize you after all these years."

"I haven't been in Los Angeles for a few years as I have been living in Venezuela and Mexico. I never had the time to visit my sister," Ramon explained.

"Victoria said she was going to live with you when she left Los Angeles." Mendoza asked, puzzled.

"You must have misunderstood something, Sergeant."

Mendoza shrugged. "That's what she told me, Señor. My men and I escorted her all the way north, close to the border to Santa Paula territory. We didn't want anything happen to her, although she insisted that she could take care of herself and didn't need our protection."

"Did you hear anything from her after she left Los Angeles?" Ramon inquired.

"No, I didn't, but I never expected her to write to a simple sergeant like me. She may have written to Don Alejandro who was always like a father to her."

"Did Don Alejandro mention Victoria?"

"I don't recall, Señor, but I don't have the chance to talk to him so often as we no longer meet in the tavern." Mendoza looked miserably at the closed building.

"Why did Victoria leave without selling the tavern? Didn't she find a buyer? Why did she leave before she got the money from it?"

"I don't know. She said she hadn't found someone to give her a good price, and that Don Alejandro would look after it when she had left."

"Did she say when she would come back? Because that's the only reason I can imagine why she didn't sell it." Ramon stated.

"Señor, I can't answer your questions. Don Alejandro may be able to give you more information," Mendoza apologized. "But, I would be more than happy if your sister came back to Los Angeles and reopened the tavern. The pueblo hasn't been the same since she left."

"What do you mean, Sergeant?"

"The tavern was the only place where you could get food outside the barracks. Now, my men and I have to eat at the garrison all the time, and it's very bad food. The alcalde is also in a bad mood because he used to eat in the tavern as well. I think by now he has realized what he has done by running Victoria off. Victoria was an excellent cook, and the tavern was a well frequented place, not only for eating but also for meeting friends and having a drink. Nobody expected the tavern to stay closed after Victoria left."

"I will see what I can find out from Don Alejandro, Sergeant." Ramon turned around to leave the pueblo at the northern exit. As a soldier he was used to walking, and he didn't mind the two miles to the de la Vega hacienda, though he would have liked a break with a cool drink on the porch of the tavern.

Z Z Z


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Alejandro de la Vega rose from his chair when the servant announced Ramon, leading him into the library.

"Buenos días, Ramon, it's a surprise to see you in Los Angeles," Alejandro greeted him. "It's been some time since you have been here. You must tell me about your travels abroad."

"Buenos días, Don Alejandro, it's good to see you, too. I hope you have a few minutes for me?"

"Yes, of course, take a seat, and I'll have my servant bring something to drink." Alejandro motioned to sit down on one of two comfortable chairs with a small table in front of them.

"Don Alejandro, I'm coming from the pueblo where I wanted to meet my sister, but the tavern was closed, and the sergeant told me that Victoria has left Los Angeles a few months ago to live with me in Mexico. But, she never came to Mexico or wrote me that she wanted to visit me. Can you tell me where she is?"

Alejandro sighed. It had to be expected that someone would show up and ask for Victoria. Why had Diego and Victoria thought that everything would go smoothly?

"No, I can't tell you," Alejandro said truthfully. Diego and Victoria hadn't given him the location of their new home, and he was disappointed by their lack of trust. Didn't they know that he'd never give away their secret, knowing that it would cost them their lives?

"Have you talked with others about Victoria?" he inquired.

"No, not yet, only with Mendoza so far. He told me that I'd best ask you where Victoria is." Alejandro breathed out relieved. Now he had to keep Mendoza from spreading any rumors about Victoria's disappearance and make sure that Ramon didn't talk too much about it either.

"So, you don't know where Victoria is?" Ramon asked, disappointed.

Alejandro hesitated with his answer, not knowing how to handle this. He couldn't reveal Victoria's marriage to Diego without asking them first, but he needed to give Ramon an answer that would keep him from asking questions and draw the alcalde's attention on Victoria.

"It's not so easy to answer that, Ramon," Alejandro said, slowly.

"What do you mean, Don Alejandro?" Ramon asked, puzzled. "Do you know where she is or not?"

"Please, let me explain this a bit before I answer you." Alejandro leaned back in his chair and absently ran his hand through his gray hair. It still pained him to think about the day when Victoria told him about her wedding plans, and that Diego wouldn't come home.

"What's wrong, Don Alejandro?" Ramon asked, alarmed at the expression in his face. "Has something happened to Victoria? Is she dead?"

"No, she isn't dead, she is fine."

Ramon breathed out, relieved. "What is it then?"

"You must know that Victoria had a hard time after Zorro left her. Not only did she miss him terribly, but she was also without his protection. I did what I could for her, but I couldn't replace Zorro and fight for her in the tavern."

"No, of course not. Nobody expected you to do that."

"The situation in the tavern grew more and more dangerous as the vaqueros tried to take liberties with her, knowing Zorro wouldn't come to her rescue."

"And the alcalde and the soldiers did nothing?" Ramon asked, enraged. "It's their duty to protect women from such behavior."

"No, unfortunately not. The alcalde still hoped Zorro would come back for Victoria, and that he'd get his chance to catch him."

"But, Zorro didn't come back?"

"No, he didn't. De Soto grew that desperate to catch Zorro that he threw Victoria in prison. I tried to get her out, but the alcalde wouldn't give in. Only after nearly three days he was finally convinced that there was no more Zorro."

"Victoria had to stay in prison for three days?" Ramon asked, angry and shocked.

"After that, Victoria was ready to drop, desperate about her situation, and she decided to leave Los Angeles, seeing no future for herself here anymore."

"I got a letter from her shortly after Zorro left her. She sounded very sad, but I must say that I was glad about her split up. I hoped that she would finally start a life without him and have the family she always wanted. But, I never thought she would have to suffer for it. Obviously, Zorro did more for her than we were aware of by making sure he would always come to her defense.

"Yes, we all depended more on Zorro than we thought," Alejandro agreed, sadly.

"You said that Victoria decided to leave Los Angeles after that? Where did she go?"

"Victoria was afraid that de Soto would never give up and might try to follow her, throwing her back in prison, so she didn't tell anyone where she was going, pretending she was going to live with you." Alejandro lied.

"She didn't come to me, but I would have welcomed her any time in Mexico. So, where is she?"

"She told me she was going to live with friends."

"What friends? Where?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you any details. She didn't trust me with that information, though I told her I wouldn't tell anyone." Alejandro said unhappily.

"Are you telling me that Victoria fled Los Angeles because she feared the alcalde might throw her back into prison, and didn't tell anyone her whereabouts because the alcalde might seek her out?" Ramon asked, shocked. "It doesn't sound like her."

"No, it's not like her, but the days in prison had her completely shaken. I have never seen her in such a state before." Alejandro tried to explain. "I tried to keep her in Los Angeles, but she had made up her mind."

"What you told me sounds horrible, Don Alejandro, I must thank you for all that you did for my sister. I feel guilty that I haven't been able to protect her as I should have as her brother."

"I understand, Ramon. If you hadn't been forced to flee Los Angeles after the death of your parents, you would have been there for her. But, I failed her as much as you when I wasn't able to protect her from the alcalde. And I was here in Los Angeles. I don't think you could have done more if you had been here as well. We all thought that Victoria was safe in Los Angeles, but that was only as long as Zorro was protecting her. The alcalde has gone insane in his desire to capture Zorro. I don't know what he will do now that he must realize that there is no more glory to gain by capturing the famous outlaw."

"The alcalde hasn't given up?"

"I'm not sure if he will ever give up. He is obsessed with Zorro, and as long as that is the case Victoria won't return to Los Angeles." And neither would Diego, Alejandro added silently in his mind. He had met Diego and Victoria only once since their return from their honeymoon, riding to the chapel with Felipe to attended the Sunday mass at the chapel where the wedding had taken place. Diego and Victoria went to mass there every Sunday now, but it would raise suspicions if Alejandro went there too often and no longer went to church in Los Angeles. He had planned to go there again this weekend, but he would need to be careful and stay away, now that Ramon was here.

"You said that Victoria didn't tell you where she is living now? Who are those friends? How can I find her?"

"I'm sorry, Ramon, that I can't tell you much, but I may be able to get a message to her."

"A message? What kind of message? Then you know where she lives? Is she here in California?"

"As I said, I don't know where to find her, but I know how to contact her."

"This is all very strange, Don Alejandro, and I have the feeling that you aren't telling me everything." Ramon eyed him critically, noticing that Alejandro appeared unhappy and had aged noticeably in the years he hadn't seen him. "But, I want to meet with my sister, and if you could inform her that I'm here, I would be very grateful."

"I will see what I can do, Ramon," Alejandro nodded. "But for now, I want you to accept my hospitality and be my guest for the time you're here."

"What about the tavern? Not that I'm not grateful for your offer, but I had hoped I could stay there. Sergeant Mendoza told me that the tavern is closed?"

"I understand that you prefer to sleep in the tavern, which you consider as your home, but Victoria emptied the tavern of all valuables before she left Los Angeles to discourage plundering."

"The tavern is empty? Why did she do that? Why didn't sell it? Does it mean she wants to come back to her tavern?"

"No, I don't think she will come back. And, what she wants to do with it, she'll have to tell you herself."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"Diego, my brother has come to Los Angeles," Victoria handed him the message from his father that Felipe had brought them.

"I hope he hasn't raised too many suspicions about your leaving," Diego said, concerned, reading the note. "Father writes that he has told Ramon about the reasons why you left the pueblo, but he hasn't said anything about your current whereabouts. Ramon is curious now, and of course, he wants to assure himself that you are well."

"We haven't seen each other since my father's funeral," Victoria became sad, thinking of the events at Devil's fortress and her regrets that she hadn't been able to save her father. "We only wrote from time to time, but the mail takes weeks, and often I didn't know his address because he was stationed in different parts of Mexico." Her voice had a longing tone when she talked about her brother.

"I know you miss your family, Victoria, and that it was hard for you to marry without one of your brothers attending," Diego caressed her tenderly. "You should meet Ramon."

"I wish to meet him, but how can I do that? I can't return to the pueblo without raising questions about where I have been – especially now." Victoria stroked across her belly where her pregnancy had started to show. "What if it is a trap to catch you?"

Diego embraced her from behind, folding his arms over her waist while he put his cheek next to hers, caressing it. "I don't think it's a trap, but we will be careful. Felipe can lead your brother to the chapel where we married, and you can meet him there. I will accompany you, posing as your driver. If there is any problem, I will be ready to defend you. I'm still swordsman enough to fight with my left hand," Diego assured her.

Z Z Z

Two days later Felipe led Ramon north to the mission to meet his sister. During the ride Ramon tried to get some information from Felipe, but the teenager either didn't understand his signs or pretended not to.

Victoria was waiting for him on a small bench in front of the chapel. Her carriage was stationed in the shade a short distance away, and the tall driver was taking a nap on the driver's seat, his big sombrero hat drawn into his face. The man sat up again when Felipe went over to the carriage to talk to him.

"Ramon, you look well. It's good to see you after all these years," Victoria embraced him, happily.

"You look good, too," Ramon eyed her critically. "You have changed." Her dress was more elegant than what she used to wear in the tavern, and her hair was long enough now to be tied up in a bun, giving her a more mature appearance.

Besides her outward appearance there was more that had changed. It was more demeanor and the expression on her face. She seemed to be quieter and more content than the last time he met her. The strained look, that had never left her the years before, had been replaced by an aura of happiness and content that radiated from her.

"I must say that I was concerned when Don Alejandro told me about the circumstances when you left Los Angeles, but I can see that you're all right."

"Ramon, you don't have to worry about me. I'm really fine. I'm sorry that my last letter didn't reach you. Then you'd know that there was no need to come to Los Angeles." Victoria smiled.

"There was need, Victoria. Not only because of what I heard, but also because I haven't seen you for so long. I think the last time was at father's funeral after we escaped from Devil's Fortress."

"Yes, it has been more than two years now." Victoria grew somber again, thinking of their father's death.

"Don Alejandro told me that you fled Los Angeles, and it had me worried. Where are you living now? Will you come back to Los Angeles? I will be there to protect you if you need me."

"What did Don Alejandro tell you?" Victoria inquired, without answering.

"Don Alejandro said that you left without telling anyone where you went, and that you were afraid of the alcalde imprisoning you again if he found you. But, I'm your brother, I have to know where you are now. I want you to come back with me to Los Angeles. That is your life, and I don't want you to flee from the alcalde! We can't let him win!"

"No, Ramon, I won't go back with you, but I thank you for the offer." Victoria shook her head. "The situation is different now."

"Victoria, I am on leave from the army, and I can stay for some time and be there for you until everything has settled down. I am sorry that I left you unprotected before. But now, I'm here and you can count on me!"

Victoria shook her head again. "No, Ramon. I don't want that, and I don't need it. There is something I must tell you." She stretched out her hand to display her wedding ring.

"A wedding ring? You are married?" Ramon asked, stunned. "When? Who? How?"

"I met an old friend, who asked me to marry him, and I accepted his proposal. He loves me very much, and we're expecting our first child. You will be an uncle soon!" Victoria smiled, happily.

"You have me completely surprised, Victoria," Ramon said, speechless. "I never expected that. Who is he? Do I know him? An old friend you said?"

"It doesn't matter who he is. All you need to know is that I'm happy with him, and you don't need to worry about me."

"Why don't you tell me who he is?" Ramon inquired, getting suspicious. "Why the secrecy? You aren't telling me his name, and you haven't told me where you live, either. It's not like you to run away. Tell me why!"

When Victoria didn't answer, he suddenly stared at her. "I can imagine only one reason, Victoria. Did you marry Zorro? Is that the reason you're hiding from everyone? To protect him?"

Victoria had become pale and had risen from her seat. "How did you come to that conclusion? I left because I couldn't stand it in the pueblo any longer. And, I don't want the alcalde to come after me. That's all, Ramon."

"No, Victoria. I don't buy that story. I think I have guessed the truth, or you wouldn't become so upset." Ramon took her by the arm and motioned her to sit down again. "You can trust me, Victoria. I'm your brother, and I won't betray you. I'm happy that you finally managed to marry the man you love. All I want is you to be happy. Just tell me if I'm right!"

"Ramon, please, it's not your business whom I married. I think you should return to Los Angeles now."

"Victoria, there's no reason to part so soon after we just met. I see you so rarely, and I want to know more about you. I will ask no more questions about your husband, and where you are living now. Agreed?"

Victoria relaxed and nodded. "Thank you, Ramon. Now, tell me more about you. What did you do since the last letter you sent me? What are your plans for the future? Is there someone in your life, too? Have you heard from Francisco? What is he doing at the moment?"

The two siblings exchanged news on their brother, and Ramon talked about his recent missions as soldier of the Mexican army. "My commanding officer was pleased with my success, and when I return to Mexico City my promotion to Captain should be approved by the commander."

"This is great news, Ramon. I am very proud of you. My little brother has made it to captain of the Mexican army!"

"Yes, it was the right choice to join the Mexican forces when we left Los Angeles, especially when you think of the recent developments concerning Mexico and California."

"What are you talking about, Ramon?" Victoria asked, concerned.

"You must have heard the rumors that Mexico plans to take over California from Spain, and that the Spanish rule will soon come to an end here."

"Yes, we heard about that when we were in San Diego. My husband is hoping that it is true, and the oppression in Los Angeles will finally come to an end."

"I can tell you that the rumors are right, and Mexico will take over soon."

"That is really good news, Ramon." Victoria voiced her relief. "It can't be too soon for the people of Los Angeles. I only wish the alcalde gone."

"I know, Victoria, you had a hard time, and I feel bad that Francisco and I left you to cope on your own. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'm fine, Ramon. There's no need to worry about me. My husband takes good care of me." Victoria smiled.

"You love him very much, don't you?" Ramon stated. "I don't know how to describe it, but you appear to glow whenever you talk of him."

"Yes, and he loves me. I'd do anything for him," Victoria admitted.

"Even staying away from your friends and family?" Ramon hinted. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see you at all after Don Alejandro told me what happened. You seemed to have vanished, leaving no trace where you had gone."

"I wrote you a letter, but it must have gotten lost," Victoria apologized. "Did you talk in the pueblo with anyone about my whereabouts?"

"No, only with the sergeant."

"Sergeant Mendoza?" Victoria asked, alarmed. "He is the greatest gossip in town!"

"I met him when I found the tavern closed, and he told me you had left and that I should talk to Don Alejandro for more information. He was surprised that I didn't know where you were, because he had assumed you had left to live with me."

"Oh, no!" Victoria exclaimed, concerned. "Probably, the alcalde knows by now that I went somewhere else. You should be careful, Ramon, when you return to the pueblo. The alcalde may try to extract information from you."

"Victoria, you worry too much. I'm a member of the Mexican army. The alcalde has no hold over me." Ramon put a hand on her sleeve to calm her.

"Ramon, you don't understand the situation in Los Angeles at all. Please, do me a favor and leave as soon as you can. Take the next coach and don't come back as long as de Soto is still in charge!"

"Victoria, you can't be serious! I'm a normal citizen, and I have done nothing wrong."

"How can you be a soldier and still be so naive? You're my brother, and everything else does not count!"

"Victoria, please. Do you really want me to leave?"

"Yes, leave now or tomorrow or as soon as the next coach is leaving! I am happy now. Please, don't destroy that!" Victoria rose from her seat; her smile had vanished from her face, and she seemed to be close to crying.

"I can't understand how you changed so much, Victoria. You were never so afraid before!"

"You don't know how it was in prison for me, Ramon. It was terrible," she shivered, unable to hide her distress, "and I don't want anything to happen to you. Goodbye, Ramon, and be careful," Victoria hugged him briefly, "I'll write you when the baby is born." Almost running in panic, she headed back to the carriage without looking back.

Confused by her sudden departure, Ramon saw her talk agitatedly to the driver who gave her a hand to help her on the seat beside him, driving away quickly.

"Victoria, is something wrong?" Diego asked, concerned on their way back from the chapel. "Did you have a fight? Or, was it a trap?"

"No, it's not a trap, but I'm afraid for my brother." Victoria recounted her conversation with Ramon. "He doesn't understand how obsessed the alcalde is with his goal to capture Zorro. I'm afraid that Ramon has endangered our secret. What will you do if the alcalde tries to use Ramon as bait?" Victoria began to cry. "I can't bear it if anything happens to one of you!"

Though Diego shared her concern, he tried to calm her. "Victoria, we can hope that Ramon is gone, before the alcalde even realizes what is going on. I'm not sure if de Soto will go against a soldier of the Mexican army. He should know by now that the days of the Spanish reign in California are numbered."

"I'm sorry, Diego. I never used to be the crying type, it must be because of the pregnancy," she apologized. "I have this bad feeling ..." She put her forehead on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"It's alright, Victoria," he said, softly, stroking her back.

Concerned, Diego looked down at her, aware that the pregnancy was only partly to blame for Victoria's state of mind. The time in the pueblo when he hadn't been able to protect her, and especially the days in prison, had wounded her deeply, and she still hadn't recovered from it.

The nightmares from that time still haunted her. Only by sleeping close to him, touching him in her sleep and reassuring herself of his presence, was she able to keep them at bay.

Z Z Z

"How was your meeting with Victoria?" Alejandro inquired after Felipe and Ramon had returned to the de la Vega hacienda.

"It was good to see her again. She looked well," Ramon stated, hesitantly, "but we didn't meet very long. She didn't want to talk about herself and left very suddenly."

"Is something wrong?" Alejandro asked, concerned.

"I don't know. Did you know that she got married?"

"Yes, I knew." Alejandro admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me? Do you know who her husband is? Victoria wouldn't tell me his name or anything about him. Why the secrecy? I don't understand it. When I asked her if she married Zorro, she became upset and wanted to leave. I had to promise her not to ask any questions about him to make her stay and talk with me."

"Ramon, I can't tell you more than Victoria told you. She trusted me with her marriage, and it's up to her to tell you more."

"I don't understand it. Why is Victoria so afraid of the alcalde? She even begged me to leave immediately, telling me that the alcalde would use me against her. How can she believe that?"

"Ramon, don't brush off the idea so easily. The alcalde is really angry about Zorro, and he will use any means to get him, even you. I talked to the sergeant to keep quiet about Victoria and your visit, but it was already too late. I believe the alcalde knows by now that you are visiting, and that Victoria isn't living with you. You know you can stay here as long as you want, but I think it's wise to leave soon. I recommend that you don't go into the pueblo before you leave."

"I'm not afraid of the alcalde, and I won't be frightened off so easily. I promised to visit a few friends in the pueblo before my departure, and after that I will leave with the next coach the day after tomorrow."

Alejandro said nothing, but in his face Ramon could see his disapproval about his decision to meet his friends the next day.

Z Z Z

Before Ramon could leave, Victoria's fears became true. Felipe brought them a message from their father that Ramon had been imprisoned by de Soto the day before, when he had returned to the pueblo to meet his friends.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Though Ramon had declared that he knew nothing about Victoria's whereabouts, de Soto hadn't believed that Ramon would leave Los Angeles so soon without having met with his sister or asking further questions about her.

De Soto had announced that he wanted Victoria to come back to the pueblo and exchange herself for her brother's freedom. If she did not come back the next day, her brother would be executed as a spy for the Mexican army at sunset.

"I told Ramon that he should be careful, but he didn't listen to me," Victoria said, angry and depressed. "It is as I feared. De Soto is trying to use him against me. I need to go to the pueblo immediately to free him! I can't allow him to be killed. He's my brother! I'd rather go back into prison." Victoria shuddered at the thought.

"Victoria, there is no way I will let you go back to prison. I know how much you suffered last time, and how the nightmares still haunt you." Diego declared, putting his arm around her.

"But I can't let him die, Diego! De Soto has no scruples to kill an innocent man!" Victoria's hands balled into fists.

"Before we go to the pueblo, I need to get more information about the situation. I will talk with my father and ask him what he knows about de Soto's plans. There has to be another solution. I only need time to think about it. In any case, I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know that, Diego. But, there isn't much time to think of a plan. In a few hours Ramon will be killed if I don't go." Victoria leaned against him for support. "What can we do?"

Then, she realized what Diego had said. "You will go back with me to Los Angeles? I thought you didn't want to go back? Because you don't know how to explain your injury and de Soto might arrest you as Zorro?"

"Victoria, I won't let you go back alone," Diego declared. "I still don't know if it's a good idea at all for you to go back to the pueblo as de Soto requested, but the alcalde has gone too far this time, arresting an officer of the Mexican army when California will be under Mexican rule soon. And, don't forget that it's Zorro he wants to catch. You're only his means to it."

"Thank you, Diego, for coming with me. I know how hard it is for you to go back and face the pity and the stares." She kissed him tenderly.

"It's not so bad anymore as when I was still recovering. After this long break where I could be myself, I feel up to acting again, pretending to be plain Diego. I have a limited control of my arm, and because of your help with the exercises it's getting better. I can even hold a fork with it and cut my own meat, and I can dress myself." Diego smiled a little, but Victoria knew how much his disability still pained him. "I won't let you down, Victoria. I can face it when I have your love."

"There's no doubt about it, Diego. You'll never lose my love." Tenderly, Victoria kissed him again, putting her arms around his neck.

Z Z Z

Four hours later, their closed carriage arrived at the de la Vega hacienda. Alejandro had waited for news from Felipe, but he hadn't expected Diego and Victoria to return instead.

"Diego, Victoria, you have come! What a happy surprise," he smiled, embracing them both. "Come in, you must be thirsty from the drive. How are you? Diego, you look much better! It's good to see you again," Alejandro showed his happiness to have his son and Victoria back at the hacienda. "You look well, Victoria. I was overjoyed when I heard of your pregnancy. My congratulations."

"Thank you, Father," Victoria said, stressed.

"It's good to see you too, Father," Diego smiled a bit, "though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Yes, I wish that as well," Alejandro became serious again. "Ramon was my guest here during his stay, and I sent Felipe to you with the news as soon as I heard of his arrest. Where is Felipe?"

"Felipe stayed at my hacienda," Diego explained. "He wasn't feeling well when he arrived, and I fear he may be coming down with a severe cold. Though he wanted to return with us, I told him to stay in bed. There isn't much he can do anyway. But, don't worry, Father, he will be fine again after some rest rest, and the cook will take good care of him. She has experience in nursing, and Felipe is a much easier patient than me."

"I hope he feels better soon." Alejandro said. "He showed signs of a cold before, but I had no other choice but to send him to you, since he is the only one to know your home. " The reproach in his voice was clearly audible.

"I'm sorry about that, Father. You know why I never told you. Can you tell me what happened with Ramon?" Diego asked.

"Let's get you some refreshments and something to eat first," Alejandro led them to the dining table and called for a servant.

"Ana, tell the cook to bring some albondigas soup for my son and Victoria," he ordered.

"Si, Patron," the servant curtsied. "It's so good to have you back, Don Diego," she smiled. "We have all been missing you. Maria will be delighted to cook for you and the señorita."

"Thank you, Ana." Diego didn't correct her in addressing Victoria, as their marriage was still a secret.

During the meal Alejandro told them that de Soto had imprisoned Ramon as spy for the Mexican army.

"We all know that Ramon is no spy, but it's the only pretense the alcalde could come up with to make Ramon's imprisonment appear legal."

"Do you really believe he will execute Ramon, Father?" Victoria asked.

"I think that de Soto is out of his mind," Alejandro stated. "He knows there isn't much time left until the Mexicans will take over. I guess it will be no more than a few weeks. The Mexicans probably won't let him pledge his allegiance to Mexico and remain alcalde, after he has ruined the pueblo with his excessive taxes."

Alejandro continued his evaluation of the situation. "De Soto won't have much of a future on his return to Spain either, unless he can show his success in catching Zorro. As a man who has nothing to lose, he will do anything. Either, you show up, Victoria, to serve as a bait for Zorro, or Ramon will die."

"This is terrible," Victoria said, agitated. "I need to go to the pueblo immediately to save my brother."

"No, Victoria, it's better for you to stay here at the hacienda," Diego said. "My father and I will go."

"Didn't you listen, Diego? Ramon will be killed if I don't go! How can you expect me to stay home and risk his life?"

"Excuse us for a moment, Father." Diego took Victoria by the arm and led her from the dining room to the parlor where they could talk privately.

"There is nothing you can do in the pueblo, Victoria. I don't want you to be in danger," Diego told her.

"But, he is my brother! I want to be there for him. How can I stay at home when he is about to be killed? I have to go to release him from prison!" Victoria had turned white.

"Victoria, the situation is different now. Your first priority is to take care of yourself and the child. I know how much the mere thought of prison scares you and I don't want anything to happen to you or the child by letting the alcalde imprison you again. It would put too much stress on you."

"But.." Victoria voiced a feeble protest, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to change his mind when he was intent on protecting her.

"No! I don't want you to go back to prison – not in exchange for your brother nor for any other reason."

Diego protectively put his arms around her, feeling her relief that she wouldn't have to face that nightmare again. "I will do everything I can to get your brother free. It's me the alcalde wants, not you nor your brother."

"Diego, I can't stand by, doing nothing, when I know that you or my brother may die today. How can I decide between you and my brother? Whatever I do, one of you will die." Desperately, she put her hands on his shoulders.

"Victoria," Diego said, seriously, "the chances for my return will be much better if you stay here and I know you're safe. Then, I can try to convince de Soto to let Ramon go, while he still doesn't know about our marriage. If you come with me to the pueblo, the alcalde will notice that you're pregnant. He will correctly assume that you married Zorro and take you hostage instead of your brother, demanding that Zorro turns himself in. And, I would do that for you and our child. I'd have no other choice."

That completely undid her. She began to cry hard and buried her face in his chest. "Diego, please, don't leave me. I can't live without you! I can't go through that again!"

Soothingly, Diego stroked her back, thinking of the day Felipe had brought her to him after she had been released from prison, and she had cried desperately in his arms. He hadn't been able to protect her then, but now he would keep her safe. "Everything will be alright, Victoria! Trust me, but I need you to stay in the cave where nobody will find you, until it's over. Will you do that? For us? For the baby?"

Sobbing, Victoria nodded.

"I'll do everything you want, only come back to me!" Victoria clung to him, clasping her hands around the ruffles of his caballero shirt.

When she had calmed down again, Diego led her back to his father in the dining room.

"Is everything alright, Victoria?" Alejandro asked, noticing Victoria's tear stained face, looking questioningly at them. What had his son said to make her cry?

Victoria wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "Thank you, Father. I'm fine."

"Victoria will stay here where she is safe," Diego declared.

"You won't return to the pueblo for your brother?" Alejandro asked, surprised. He had been convinced that nothing could keep her away, stepping forward and protesting as usual. "Why do you think she will be safer here than in the pueblo, Diego? The alcalde will suspect her to be here and search the hacienda with his soldiers!"

"He won't find her in the cave!"

"The cave?" Alejandro asked, confused, "What cave?"

"Zorro's cave," Diego replied, only realizing now, that this was the first time he had returned home after he had revealed his secret to them. "I'm sorry, I never had the chance to show you. Come with me!"

Leading his father and Victoria to the library, Diego pushed the secret lever in the mantelpiece and the door slid open.

"Is this where Zorro's cave is?" Alejandro asked. "Behind the old escape route? I had completely forgotten that."

Taking Victoria by the hand, he led them into the cave, stopping on top of the stairs.

"I remember it," Victoria stepped forward. "I was sitting in that chair over there and looked at Toronado. It looks different now – so empty."

"Yes, Toronado is at our hacienda now, and Felipe brought over a few other things that I usually stored here."

"You have been here before, Victoria?" Alejandro asked, surprised. "When? How?"

"On the day I was attacked on my cart and hurt my ankle. Zorro brought me here, and he also proposed to me here in the cave," Victoria smiled at the memory.

"You proposed to Victoria as Zorro, Diego? Then you have been secretly engaged? I'd never have guessed that."

"Yes, Father," Diego smiled. "You understand now why we could never tell anyone. I was very happy that Victoria accepted my proposal without knowing my identity." Diego squeezed her hand, smiling at her.

"We don't have much time now, just let me show you what you need to know." Diego went with Victoria to the back of the cave to show her the spy hole and the exit he used to take with Toronado.

"Very clever, Diego," Alejandro stated. "And you trained Toronado to use the exit on his own? I never thought a horse could do that."

"Without Toronado I would be dead now. When I was injured, Toronado returned to the cave and alarmed Felipe." Diego admitted. "Now, I need to show you the exit to the hacienda, Victoria. I don't want you to feel trapped in the cave, but please don't leave the cave until one of us comes to get you." He walked back to the cave entrance.

"I promise, Diego," Victoria agreed, unhappily.

"Here is the spy hole where you can see what happens in the library, and to open the door you have to pull this candle holder." Diego demonstrated the lever. "If the alcalde comes to the hacienda with his soldiers to search for you, he won't be able to find you. All you need to do is to stay inside while you can watch the hacienda."

Victoria nodded. "I understand, Diego."

"I have some books left on the shelf you may like to pass the time, or you can take a nap on the cot over there. It's not very comfortable though," he smiled a bit, remembering the times when he had used it out of necessity. He had either been too exhausted to go to bed or been injured.

"I will manage," Victoria's lower lip quivered from nervousness. "Just come back to me, Diego."

"Everything will be alright," Diego assured her, taking her in his arms.

Alejandro left them alone while Diego tried to calm Victoria, who didn't want to let him go, clinging to him.

"I'm afraid, Diego. I'm so afraid that the alcalde will arrest you and hang you as Zorro. Or, that he will do something to my brother because I didn't show up as he demanded."

"Victoria, I will be back soon. Why don't you lie down and rest?" He hugged her, tightly.

"I don't think I can, Diego, but I will try. Don't let me wait too long. I can't stand the waiting and the uncertainty when I don't know what is happening in the pueblo."

"I'll do my best, Victoria. Trust me," he stroked her back, soothingly. "I will make sure that Ramon returns safely!"

"Come back to me, Diego. You and Ramon," she pleaded. Diego kissed her long and tenderly, and neither of them wanted the kiss to end. Though Diego had told her not to worry, they both knew that he might not return from the pueblo if de Soto hung him as Zorro. This could be their last kiss, and Victoria couldn't bear it, trying to hold him. After a while he released her, nonetheless. "I must go, Victoria, or it will be too late to save your brother." Victoria nodded, letting him go, reluctantly.

"I love you, Victoria," he whispered.

"I love you, Diego," she caressed his cheek. "Please, return to me!"

Gazing at each other for a moment that needed no more words, Diego turned around and left the cave, closing the secret door behind him.

* * *

_**A/N:** This story is finally nearing its end. There are 6 more chapters and at last the epilogue which has grown quite long. The story is completely written and I plan to post about 2 chapters a week, so you can look forward to read the end in a few weeks._


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Victoria stared at the empty steps for a while before she came back to her senses. Though Diego had shown her all the exits, Victoria still felt trapped. She knew how to get out of the cave, but she had promised not to leave. Why had she ever agreed to this? How could she stay here inside, left in ignorance about the fate of her husband and her brother? What if the alcalde unveiled Diego as Zorro and killed him? Or, if Diego didn't manage to get her brother free, and he was executed because she hadn't come?

Nervously, she walked around the cave, unable to sit down. At the bookshelf she stopped for a moment to read the book titles, but none of them were of any interest to her as they were mostly about science or fencing or military strategy. Why didn't she think of bringing her own book before she agreed to stay here alone?

She went to the spy hole to look inside the hacienda. Alejandro was saying something to Diego that she couldn't hear, grinning happily and patting his son on the shoulder.

A few minutes later she heard a commotion from the library. Through the spy hole she could see soldiers storming into the library.

"What are you doing here, Mendoza? Storming into my house like this?" Alejandro questioned the sergeant.

"My men have seen a carriage arriving at the hacienda," Sergeant Mendoza said, "and the alcalde has ordered us to search for Señorita Victoria if that happens." Then he suddenly came to a halt as he spotted Diego.

"Don Diego!" Mendoza exclaimed. "You are back!" he said, surprised. "It's good to see you again."

"Where have you been all these months? I missed our meals together."

"Victoria is not here," Alejandro declared. "Diego has returned from his travels today, and he came with a carriage because he had luggage," Alejandro explained.

"Yes, it's good to be back." Diego grinned at that, knowing that he had paid Mendoza's meals. Mendoza stretched out his right hand to shake Diego's, but Diego offered him his left hand instead.

"Is something wrong with your hand?" Mendoza asked, confused.

"I fell from my horse, and my arm was injured," Diego grimaced.

Diego had assumed his old role as plain incompetent 'Diego' again and Victoria hated it utterly. After all the months she had spent with his true self, hearing his real voice, she could no longer bear his acting. How had he managed it over the years? How could he live that way with everyone looking down on him? Diego was a proud man, and she understood now what it cost him to keep himself under control.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Don Diego," Mendoza said, compassionately. "You have been gone for a long time, but you came back on a bad day."

"What's wrong?" Diego said, playing ignorant.

"Everything is bad in this pueblo, Don Diego," he complained. "Since Señorita Victoria closed her tavern shortly before she left, there is no more place to meet for a drink and no more good food. I have been starving the last months," he pointed at his belly, indicating that he had lost weight. "And today we will have to execute an innocent man, only because he is Victoria's brother."

"My father told me about it earlier," Diego said. "The alcalde is really intent on executing Ramon?"

"We have prepared everything for a firing squad, but the alcalde still hopes that Victoria will show up, and that Zorro will come to free her."

"Why would Zorro come for her if he didn't come the last time when she was in prison?"

Mendoza shrugged. "I don't believe that either Victoria or Zorro will come, but for the alcalde it's the last chance to catch Zorro. But now, I must do my work. The alcalde has ordered me to search the hacienda, and that is what I will do."

Mendoza ordered his men to search the library, and, finding nothing, they continued with the other rooms.

Victoria sat down at the desk and breathed out, relieved. It had been exactly as Diego had expected. The soldiers were in search for her, and if she hadn't stayed in the cave, she would be dragged to the pueblo right now in the hope Zorro would come for her.

Hiding in the cave had saved her and kept Diego from turning himself in, but would it save her brother too? How did Diego plan to free him? He could no longer fight as Zorro with the sword in one hand and the whip in the other or quickly climb on the roof to escape his pursuit. How did he plan to succeed without being caught himself?

Sick with worry, she moved over to the cot and lay down, tossing around, unable to relax.

Z Z Z

After Mendoza and his soldiers had finished their search without finding Victoria, they were on their way back to the pueblo, Diego and his father following at some distance behind them.

Riding alongside Diego, Alejandro took the chance to silently examine his son. Relieved, he noticed that Diego had regained his weight and looked almost the same as before his injury, except that he used his right arm only for small movements, covering the fact that he no longer had full control over it.

What Diego had told him in the cave about Toronado alarming Felipe to Zorro's injury, bothered him too much to keep quiet.

"Diego, in the cave you said that you would be dead if Toronado hadn't gotten Felipe and that you nearly didn't make it that time. Is that true?" Alejandro asked, agitated.

Diego nodded, confused what the question was about.

"You had no right to keep that from me! I understand that you always wanted to protect me, but I had a right to know that you were seriously ill! Did you ever think how it would have been for me if you had really died? To learn after your death that you denied me the chance to really know you and spend some time with you before you died?" Alejandro was hurt and angry.

"I'm sorry, Father," Diego apologized. "I never thought about that. I never wanted to hurt you."

"And now, Diego? What are you planning to do now? I understand that you want to keep Victoria safe at all costs, but how do you plan to get Ramon free? Will you turn yourself in, exchanging your life for his? Have I only found out about your true self to lose you again to the hangman before I have the chance to really know you?"

"I don't think it will come to this. De Soto has gone too far this time with imprisoning Ramon," Diego tried to convince him.

"I won't let de Soto kill you, Diego. I may have failed you as a father before, but I'd rather kill him myself than let him have you. And the other caballeros will hopefully stand by my side." Alejandro declared, determined, pointing at the pistol at his belt. "When I heard about de Soto's plan to execute Ramon, I asked the other caballeros to come to the plaza today and make our stand. Most of them have agreed to join me in my protest."

True to his word, Alejandro immediately split from Diego after their arrival at the pueblo to rally the other caballeros behind him, intent on stopping de Soto, should he really try to kill Victoria's brother, or even worse, Diego.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

In the pueblo the people were surprised and happy to see Diego again. He was patted on the shoulder by many, telling him that he had been missed. Diego walked around, talking to friends, but he didn't fail to notice the changes in the pueblo. Out of habit he looked over to the tavern, expecting Victoria to emerge from it any minute as she used to, but the closed windows and door showed clearly that it was abandoned. There were other locked houses in the neighborhood further down the road that he and his father had passed by when riding into the pueblo. Though his father had told him what to expect, it still disturbed him to see the pueblo in such a desolate state only a few months after he had stopped riding as Zorro.

In the meantime, Mendoza had informed the alcalde about his failure to find Victoria at the de la Vega hacienda.

Angrily, de Soto stormed out of his office, Mendoza following him. "I want that firing squad ready in no time," he shouted. "If I can't get Zorro then that Escalante will die in his stead!"

"Do you think that is wise, de Soto?" Diego stepped forward to face the alcalde.

"De la Vega! What a surprise to have you back! Where have you been so long? And what brings you back today?" de Soto inquired, suspiciously.

"I have been visiting a friend in San Francisco, as you may have heard from my father." Diego said calmly. "I came back today from my travel. When my father told me that you were planning to execute Ramon Escalante today, I came to keep you from making a big mistake."

"Maybe it wasn't a mistake to imprison Ramon Escalante when it brought you back to Los Angeles!" de Soto challenged him. "Didn't you leave the pueblo about the same time as Zorro, Don Diego?"

"Do you think Don Diego is Zorro?" Mendoza shook his head, grinning in disbelief. "Don Diego can't be Zorro. He can't fight with a sword, and he has also an injured arm."

"Is that true? You have an injured arm?" De Soto inquired.

"Unfortunately, I fell from my horse," Diego admitted.

"Mendoza, arrest Don Diego. He is Zorro!" de Soto ordered.

"Alcalde, you can't ask me to arrest Don Diego as Zorro. This is ridiculous." Mendoza objected. "How could he climb the roofs as Zorro if he had an injured arm?" Mendoza asked, confused.

"Are you stupid, Mendoza? Diego was Zorro before he injured his arm!" de Soto said annoyed.

"Do you really believe that?" Mendoza took off his hat and scratched his head, still confused. "But Don Diego couldn't fight with a sword even before he was injured. How does that make him Zorro?"

De Soto lost his patience with Mendoza. "You will either arrest Don Diego, or you will shoot Ramon Escalante with a firing squad!"

"But, Alcalde..." Mendoza said, helplessly.

"I will not allow you to arrest my son, Alcalde!" Alejandro stepped forward.

"Then you will be arrested together with your son, Don Alejandro," de Soto declared.

Mendoza looked confused, unable to take action.

"Mendoza, I think you must decide what to do now," Diego addressed him, raising his voice loud enough for the surrounding crowd to hear him. "Let me explain your choices!" The talking in the surrounding crowd stopped, as they wanted to hear Diego's words. Diego turned around to face them as well as the soldiers.

"We all know that Los Angeles will soon belong to Mexico, and the Mexican army will arrive any time. What do you think will happen if the new commander finds out that a captain of the Mexican army was executed by a firing squad in this pueblo? You do know that Ramon Escalante is captain now, don't you?" The soldiers looked surprised, obviously de Soto had kept that information from them.

"Do you think it will forward your career, Mendoza, or that of your soldiers? The alcalde will leave for Spain, but you will have to stay and face the consequences."

Mendoza and his soldiers stared uncomfortably at the ground.

"Do you think the new commander will look favorably on this pueblo?" Diego continued, looking at the crowd, surrounding him. "Or will he start a new round of oppression for the death of one of his officers to show that the Mexican army is not to be bothered with?"

The men and women stayed quiet, depressed at the bleak outlook on their future.

"You can change it, Mendoza," Diego addressed him again.

"Me?" Mendoza put his hand on his chest, staring at Diego. "What can I do?"

"Arrest De Soto for misusing his authority and hand him over to the Mexican authorities as a sign of goodwill to the new government."

"That is insurrection, Mendoza," De Soto declared. "You will be put on trial for that. You have to follow my orders!"

"We will all stand behind you, Mendoza," Diego assured him, "Aren't we?" He turned to the crowd again, exchanging a look with his father.

As on cue, Alejandro and his peers took a step forward, and the crowd followed their example.

"Mendoza, you can stop the oppression now," Diego pressed him further. "Without the alcalde there won't be anymore excessive taxes, the people can do their business again, you'll get your newspaper back, the tavern can reopen, the coach will stop here again,..." Diego let it hang, looking expectantly at Mendoza.

"You really believe that, Don Diego?" Mendoza was still undecided. "And the tavern will be opened again?"

"Mendoza, stop this," de Soto commanded. "Don't make your decision based on your appetite. I'm still your commander, and I order you to arrest Don Diego."

"You will die first, Alcalde, before I let you continue you oppress the people and arrest my son!" Alejandro drew his pistol, pointing it at de Soto. The rest of his peers put their hands on their weapons without drawing them.

Not waiting for Mendoza's order, the soldiers no longer stood around Ramon Escalante, but took de Soto in their midst, their weapons pointing at the alcalde.

"Mendoza, you're making a big mistake," de Soto warned him. "Can't you see that Don Diego is Zorro? He left about the same time as Zorro, and when I threatened Ramon Escalante he came back. And have you ever seen Don Diego and Zorro together?"

"Of course, I have seen the two together, Alcalde. When the deputy governor was visiting, and we caught Zorro, and when you arrested on Alejandro as Zorro, and when Don Diego was in prison, Zorro was walking free."

"Mendoza, when you arrested Zorro before, these men were always impostors. Don Alejandro wasn't Zorro. And for the other times, I don't know how Don Diego managed it, but he wasn't in your prison, as he made you believe."

"Alcalde, I'm still not convinced that Diego is Zorro," Mendoza replied. "All I know is that Don Diego is right. If we let you continue, it will never get better in this pueblo. You are hereby arrested for..." seeking help, he turned to Diego.

"Oppressing the people, raising illegal taxes, illegal imprisonment of citizens, false accusations of foreign officers and abusing your office," Diego prompted him.

"Yes, you're right, Don Diego," Mendoza agreed. "Ignacio de Soto, you're hereby arrested for oppressing the people, raising illegal taxes, illegal imprisonment of citizens, false accusations of foreign officers and abuse of office."

"What shall we do with him now?" one of the soldiers asked the sergeant.

"Put him into prison and let the new government judge him," Mendoza ordered. "Ramon Escalante, you're a free man again." Motioning his soldiers to cut Ramon's ties, he turned to Victoria's brother, who had listened to the conversation, quietly. "I hope you will tell your commander that this pueblo won't kill officers of the Mexican army as spies." .

"Thank you, Sergeant. I will definitely put in a good word for you with my commanding officer to make sure that you are not disciplined for it," Ramon Escalante assured him, rubbing his wrists that were sore from the manacles.

Before the soldiers could lead de Soto away, he freed himself from their grip, turning around.

"I will prove to everyone that you are Zorro!" De Soto faced Diego angrily. He pulled the sword from Mendoza sheath and threw it at Diego, before he drew his own.

With his left hand Diego caught the sword out of the air, grabbing it at the hilt, before de Soto advanced on him with his own sword, pointing at Diego.

"Defend yourself, de la Vega!" De Soto attacked him, trying to overcome him with some fast moves. Diego parried each attack easily, letting his opponent getting tired in the process. "Don't you have enough now, Alcalde?" he asked after a while. "At least I do!" Though de Soto tried to counter Diego's attacks, he had no chance. It took Diego only a few moves and a feigned attack before de Soto's sword flew through the air, landing in the fountain with a splash.

"It's over, Ignacio!"

"Yes, it is over, de la Vega. You have revealed yourself, Zorro!" With bare hands now, de Soto pointed at Diego. "Seize him, Mendoza," he ordered the sergeant, who was still stunned from the swordplay.

"Are you Zorro, Don Diego?" Mendoza asked, awed.

"Does it matter, Sergeant?" Diego asked, softly.

Mendoza swallowed, unable to say anything, before he shook his head. "No, it doesn't, Don Diego."

The soldiers behind him waited for the sergeant's guidance, not knowing what orders they should follow. Should they arrest Don Diego or de Soto?

"Men, arrest de Soto!" Surprised, de Soto offered no more resistance. "Mendoza, what are you doing? Zorro has just revealed himself! And you are arresting me?"

Mendoza shook his head. "It doesn't matter if Don Diego is Zorro or not. And I'm still not convinced." De Soto rolled his eyes at this willful blindness while Diego grinned. "There is one thing I learned from Zorro over the years. Sometimes you have to the right thing, even if it is against the law. Zorro risked his life to help the people of this pueblo, and without him there was no hope. I have been to other pueblos, but in any of those the people are so miserable as in Los Angeles. You and your predecessor were the downfall of this pueblo. This has to stop, and it has to stop now! Don Diego showed me what to do, and I have to thank him for that."

There was loud clapping when Mendoza was finished, de Soto staring at him speechless. With a much tighter grip than before, the soldiers took de Soto in their midst again and led him to the prison, making sure he couldn't escape again.

"You're a great man, Mendoza." Diego praised him. "Not many would have made that decision. I need to thank you."

"Zorro taught me to do what is right, and I was honored that he called me his friend," Mendoza said thoughtfully. "I'd rather have to thank him, whoever he may be." Mendoza smiled a little.

"Don Diego, can you really arrange the tavern to be reopened? It still belongs to Señorita Victoria, and she has left without trace. She didn't even tell her brother where she went. Does your father know where to find her? The pueblo has been a terrible place without a tavern."

"I know where to find her, Mendoza," Diego grinned, "and I'm sure she'll be very happy to see the tavern open again. The taxes on the beverages and all the other taxes will have to be rescinded first."

"Oh, the taxes, and all the other paperwork. I don't know what to do about it." Realizing the consequences of his decision today, Mendoza looked around, helplessly. "When the former alcalde died and de Soto hadn't replaced him yet, I had to do all his work. It was terrible. All the people having questions and wanting decisions from me. Oh no, I don't know what to do." Pleadingly, he looked at Don Alejandro. "Would you help me with it again? You did so well when you were temporary alcalde. Please? Will you help me with the books?"

Alejandro almost laughed at Mendoza's despair when faced with endless paperwork, but he was also flattered by Mendoza's admiration for his work as alcalde. "Of course, I will help you, Sergeant. Tomorrow I will go through the books with you."

"Thank you, Don Alejandro," Mendoza breathed out, relief written all over his face. "But now I must see to my stomach. All this excitement isn't very good for me. If I don't eat, I won't be able to perform my duty." Hurriedly, Mendoza left for the garrison.

"Diego, I want to thank you for saving my life today," Ramon addressed him. "If you hadn't come and convinced sergeant Mendoza to take action against the alcalde, I would have been a dead man."

"De nada, Ramon," Diego played it down. "I really didn't do much. I had help from the citizens of the pueblo, and they only needed a little pushing after suffering so long under the alcalde. I only tried to make them see reason."

"You were the one to make it happen, and I can't thank you enough, Diego. I never thought the alcalde would actually go that far and execute me for spying. I'm only glad that my sister didn't come, and de Soto got a hold on her. I had rather died than have my sister suffer for my ignorance of the situation."

"Victoria wanted to come and release you, but I persuaded her to stay at my father's hacienda. I didn't want her to go back into prison when it wouldn't have changed a thing. She has suffered enough already. In his madness de Soto would never have released you," Diego explained.

"Victoria wanted to come for me?" Ramon asked, surprised. "How did you make her stay away? I thought there was nothing to keep her if she had made up her mind!"

"It doesn't matter anymore. It was hard for her to stay away, and now I don't want to keep her waiting longer than necessary. She needs to know that everything went well, before she continues to worry much longer. Excuse me for now, Ramon, Father," Diego nodded at them, heading for his horse. "Victoria and I will meet you in the parlor, Father, not in the library," Diego addressed his father, hinting that he should not disclose the secret entry in the library.

Stunned, Ramon watched Diego riding out of the pueblo, before he turned to Alejandro. "I don't understand what is going on. Can you explain how Diego made her stay at the hacienda? And why he is so concerned for her?"

"They are married, but I think we should better discuss this at the hacienda," Alejandro stated.

"Victoria married Diego?" Ramon was confused. He had thought that Victoria had married Zorro, but Diego wasn't Zorro, or was he, as the alcalde had claimed? Had Diego only been lucky defending himself against de Soto in the sword fight earlier, or was he really Zorro coming to his rescue?

_**A/N:**This one isn't betaed again, but I hope you''ll enjoy it despite the errors.  
I got reviews on the previous chapters wondering if Victoria would stay in the cave. I want to express how annoyed I am with all these heroines who are asked to stay where they are and still decide to follow the hero though common sense tells them not to. For once I wanted the woman to do what is sensible instead of adding to the drama. Waiting and doing nothing can be harder than rushing headless into danger._


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Diego rushed up the steps into the cave, not wanting Victoria to wait longer than necessary.

"Victoria!" he called out, when he didn't see her at once. He had expected her to sit in the chair and read. Letting his gaze sweep across the cave, he saw her lying on the cot and sat down on the side. "Victoria, are you alright?" he asked, noticing the tears on her face.

"Diego? You are back!" Victoria sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face at his shoulder. "I was afraid that I'd never see you again," she whispered.

"Everything is fine, Victoria," Diego held her tight. "I'm here."

"And Ramon? What about him? Is he dead?" she asked anxiously.

"He's been released and waits in the parlor. Coming, Querida?" Diego took her by the hand and helped her up.

"Please, Diego, don't make me ever wait here all alone again. It was terrible not to know what was going on."

"Victoria, it was necessary. I didn't like it either, but I will do everything to protect you. You know that."

"Yes, Diego. You always protected me with your life," she admitted. "But, that does not mean I have to like your methods, like keeping your identity from me or having me wait here alone."

Diego kissed her long and tenderly, but when he ended the kiss, Victoria glared at him.

"You will tell me everything that happened today, Diego," she said resolutely. "Don't leave anything out. I know you have been fighting with de Soto again!"

Diego looked at her, surprised. "Who told you that? Have you overheard something in the library?"

"You told me! Do you think I can't tell?" Victoria challenged him. "You kissed me often enough as Zorro after you just had a duel with the alcalde or escaped a deadly encounter, and I could feel the blood still rushing in your veins from the fight."

"You felt a difference in the kiss?" he asked, astonished.

"Yes. When you kissed me as Zorro, it was often in a situation where you had just escaped mortal danger or been fighting with someone. It's not that I don't like you kissing me at other times, but I can sense the difference," Victoria explained.

Diego shook his head, speechless. "I'd never have guessed it. I can't hide my feelings from you," he smiled. "Come with me to the parlor. Ramon and my father are waiting there for us."

In the parlor, Alejandro and Ramon were rising from their seats when they entered. Without greeting Ramon, Victoria headed straight for him and slapped him in the face.

"Victoria," Ramon stuttered, surprised. "I'm sorry. I … I.. I thought that you were happy to see me!"

"You! It was your fault! Why didn't you listen when I told you to leave immediately? You wouldn't believe me, when I told you that the alcalde was dangerous. He almost killed you!" Angrily, she glared at him.

"Now I want to know what happened in the pueblo! How did you manage to get Ramon free without me being there?" she asked Diego.

Sitting down next to Victoria, Diego began to explain how he had convinced Mendoza to let Ramon free, with Alejandro and Ramon adding their point of view.

"The alcalde is in prison? You persuaded Mendoza to lock him up instead of Ramon?" Victoria asked surprised. "What if Mendoza had believed de Soto that you are Zorro?" she asked, concerned, realizing the danger. "How could you risk that? You know how much I need you!"

Diego had expected to face her anger, but instead she nearly burst into tears.

"He believed me, and that's all that counts, Victoria." Diego put an arm around her. "There is no more need to worry." Victoria pressed her lips together to suppress her tears, while Diego and Ramon exchanged a concerned look.

"It has been much excitement for you, Victoria. Do you want to lie down?" Diego suggested.

Victoria shook her head. "I already did that while I was waiting for your return. I don't want to be alone right now." She cuddled closer against him.

To distract her, Ramon recounted some of his adventures on previous campaigns as officer of the Mexican army. When Victoria and Ramon had met before at the chapel, they didn't have much time together, and Victoria had left very suddenly.

The rest of the day passed with amiable conversation and the exchange of news, as they all hadn't met for some time. Alejandro was happy that Diego and Victoria would join them for dinner and stay overnight after all the months Diego hadn't been home.

Z Z Z

During dinner Diego had problems cutting the meat, holding the fork in his right hand and cutting it with the left. After several tries the fork slipped from his hand and the fork with the meat rolled from the plate.

"Madre de Dios," he exclaimed, frustrated. "Excuse me, please." Diego dropped the cutlery and stood up from the table, heading for the garden.

Ramon and Alejandro were startled by his display of temper but said nothing. Victoria rose from her chair and excused herself to follow Diego outside. She found him in the garden, leaning against a post in the secluded area, his arms folded across his chest.

"Aren't you coming back in?" Victoria asked him.

"I don't know if I can," Diego replied. "I don't know what is worse, having to admit my injury in front of the pueblo, or to face the pity of my father and your brother."

"Ramon and your father are family, they understand how hard it is for you. They don't pity you." Victoria tried to explain. "You saved Ramon's life today."

"You should go back, Victoria. Your meal is getting cold."

"I don't care, Diego. I'll stay with you." Victoria stepped forward to take him into her arms.

Diego put his arms around her, and after a while he relaxed enough to open his fists on her back, drawing her closer in his arms. "I need you, Victoria," he whispered, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm here for you, Diego," she assured him, holding him tight.

Alejandro had followed them to call them back to the table, but when he saw them in their close embrace, he decided not to disturb them.

"We have to go back inside," Diego said after some moments.

"Are you coming with me?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I? If I don't come back, you'll skip a meal because of me. And I can't let you do that when you have to eat for the child, too." Victoria grinned at him. "And I don't want to anger the cook on the first evening on my return. She'll never forgive me after she made such an effort to prepare my favorite dishes."

"So, the wrath of the cook is worse than facing your father?"

"I'm not sure. You don't want to eat her food if she is angry," Diego grinned. "Maybe I like cooks with a fiery temper?" he teased her, and Victoria glared at him. "We don't want her to ruin my father's birthday dinner next week."

"Do you want to attend your father's birthday party?" Victoria asked. "I think it would make your father very happy."

"Now, that the alcalde is in prison, there is no reason to stay away any longer. Do you want to move back to Los Angeles, Victoria?"

"To live here on the hacienda?" Her face lighted up for a moment, before she became thoughtful again. "What about you, Diego? Do you think you're up to it? Or do you need more time?"

"I must admit that it won't be easy for me, Victoria, but I noticed that you have missed your friends."

"I am happy with you, Diego. I don't mind living on our hacienda even though it's remote," Victoria declared.

"I believe you that you're happy now, Victoria, but you couldn't hide your joy when I suggested that we move back. You're used to being among other people, and after a while it becomes quite lonely on our hacienda. I must confess that I miss being in Los Angeles too, the newspaper and the people, who depend on me, and also my home and my family."

"We don't have to decide now, Diego. Take your time to think about it, and we can talk about it tomorrow again. I'll be happy with you no matter where we live, Diego. In any case I won't go back to the tavern, so I can live either on our hacienda or here."

Z Z Z

After dinner the two siblings went for a walk in the garden while Diego and Alejandro sat down in the library.

"Father, I must apologize for my bad manners during dinner earlier."

"It's all right, Diego. I understand that this is a hard time for you. How is your arm doing?" Alejandro questioned him. "I can see that it's not completely stiff as you said before. Will it recover?"

"No, it won't," Diego tried in vain to hide his pain. "I will never have complete control over it again. I can manage to hold a fork and do some simple things, but I will never be able to completely lift it again or regain its former strength."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Diego," his father said, compassionately. "I thought it was on the mend after I saw you using it today. I'm impressed that you regained so much control over it when you thought initially that it would remain stiff."

Diego recounted the medical explanation from the doctor in San Diego, something about tendons and ligaments that Alejandro lacked the medical knowledge to understand.

"As result," Diego finished his report, "there isn't much I can do except the exercises the doctor showed me to regain some control and strength. Victoria is a big support to me, without her I wouldn't have gotten this far."

"Diego, you're not alone in this. You are my son, and I love you. Your arm changes nothing for me. I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thank you, Father. It means a lot to me. I'm feeling much better than before my wedding, but I still need time to adjust."

"I understand, Diego," Alejandro assured him. "Take the time you need, son. In the meantime we could play a game of chess. I hope you haven't forgotten how to play in the recent months?"

"Of course not, Father. Except for reading books, I had nothing else to do but to play chess with Felipe, after I was shot. He has become an opponent to be reckoned with, but he can't match you, Father." Without intending it, Diego revealed how long and boring the weeks of his recovering had been.

Setting up the game, they were soon deeply involved in their match. Both had missed their evening games and without talking much, they enjoyed the time together.

Z Z Z

"Victoria, why didn't you tell me that you married Diego when we met before?" Ramon asked, now that he had the chance to talk with her alone. "I must confess that I was quite surprised when Don Alejandro told me that you two were married. Why did you marry him? You talked about him quite often in your letters but never very favorably. He could never compete with your legend, Zorro."

"I married him, because I love him," Victoria explained. "I never knew how much he meant to me, until he was no longer there. Then I realized that I couldn't go on without him."

"Did Diego get injured before or after you married?" Ramon inquired.

"Before, but it never mattered to me. Why do you ask?"

"You're a beautiful woman, if I may say that as your brother, but you could have married anyone."

"Are you criticizing my choice?" Victoria's voice had a dangerous edge to it. "Where were you when I needed someone to protect me? You were roaming around with your army, and you never made the time to visit me."

"You know that I couldn't come earlier, Victoria," Ramon defended himself. "I always had the impression that you were doing well in your tavern."

"It was only as long as Zorro protected me, and after he left I was on my own! And when I had finally married the man I love, you come along and nearly destroy it all! Why didn't you listen to me when I told you to stay away from the pueblo and the alcalde? I told you that he would try to use you against me!" Victoria accused him. "The alcalde would have killed you! If it weren't for Diego, you would be dead!"

"I couldn't know that the alcalde was mad!"

"Because you wouldn't listen! You never did, Ramon! It could have ended very differently today. If Mendoza hadn't turned against the alcalde, you could both have been dead. And I would have lost my husband because of your stupidity! And all you do is criticize my choice of husband!" Angrily, she stared at her brother.

"I don't want to criticize you, Victoria," Ramon tried to pacify her. "I'm only trying to understand what is going on. I can see that Diego cares about you very much, but his injury doesn't make your life easier."

"You really don't know what love is, Ramon." Victoria shook her head. "Diego's arm doesn't matter to me, and it never did. I married him because I love him, and whether he can fight or not changes nothing for me. I love him for the man he is, and I couldn't stand losing him. I don't want to discuss this any longer!"

"I don't understand you, Victoria. In the recent years you had only eyes for Zorro and now you married someone who is the opposite of him. It's not that I don't approve of your choice, but it simply puzzles me. But as long as you're happy, I don't care."

Ramon headed back into the house and Victoria was about to follow him, but then she felt a hand reaching out of the shadows, pulling her back.

"Diego!" Victoria exclaimed, surprised. "I'll never get used to you sneaking upon me in the darkness."

"Ramon is right, you are so beautiful you could have married anyone," Diego whispered, stepping out of the shadows. "I can be very happy you fell in love with me and not only with the legend."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were playing chess with your father?"

Diego grinned. "After losing the last two games my father quit for the night, and I went looking for my beautiful wife." He took her hand and kissed it. "It was a long day for all of us. Coming, Querida?"

Victoria smiled and slipped her hand in his, walking with him into the house.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

The next morning Diego excused Victoria at breakfast because she wasn't feeling well. Her morning sickness had stopped two weeks ago, but this morning it had returned again strongly, leaving her exhausted from throwing up.

"All the excitement yesterday has upset her terribly," Diego explained. "Now, that she is more sensitive because of the pregnancy, it was too much for her. I think it's better if she rests today instead of driving back to our hacienda on a bumpy road."

"Is there a problem with her pregnancy?" Alejandro asked, concerned.

"No, I don't think so, Father, but I will ask Doctor Hernandez to check on her, just to make sure."

"If Victoria is not fit for travel, then you won't leave today?" Alejandro asked, hopefully.

"No, Father, if you don't mind, we will stay a few days. I think Victoria will be happy to meet with some friends she hasn't seen since she left and enjoy the time with you, Ramon," Diego addressed his brother-in-law, "now that you have to stay until the coach leaves in a week. And, last not least, I'm happy to be back, too," Diego smiled.

"I'm happy to have you here, son. You and Victoria," Alejandro said, moved.

Z Z Z

In the garden Ramon took the chance to talk with Diego about Victoria. He still hadn't gotten over his surprise to see his sister married to his old childhood playmate.

"How is Victoria?" he asked Diego. "She has changed since we last met. She was always so courageous and never cared what happened to her, but now … I have never seen her so afraid. I can also see that she depends on you very much. What happened, Diego?"

"The weeks before she left the pueblo when she was without Zorro's protection were very hard on her, especially the days she had to spend in prison. Victoria still needs time to recover from it."

"I thought that was more than three months ago, Diego! Why did it effect her so much?"

"She never realized before how vulnerable she was as a woman alone, and the alcalde almost broke her." Diego thought of the previous night, how Victoria had cried in his arms when she finally relaxed and was able to let go of her fears.

"I'm relieved she has you now, Diego. I can see that you really love her and take good care of my sister. I don't know if I said it before, I'm happy to have you as brother-in-law."

"Thank you, Ramon. It means a lot to me to have your approval. When we married, Victoria was disappointed that she had to marry without your or Francisco's presence. My father led her down the aisle in your stead."

"I still don't understand all the secrecy about your marriage. Neither your father nor my sister said a word that you and Victoria married. When I met her before at the chapel at the new mission northeast from here, I asked her if she married Zorro, and she refused to discuss her marriage. I had to promise her that I wouldn't ask any questions or she would have left instantly. Are you Zorro, Diego?"

"There is no more Zorro," Diego declared, showing a blank face.

"I see that you don't want to talk about it, Diego, but I want to thank you again for all you did for Victoria and my family over the years. Without Zorro I would never have been able to see my father again before he died, and I don't know what would have happened to Victoria without you." Ramon patted Diego on his shoulder. "You can count on me whenever you need me."

"We will expect you to be the godparent of the child," Diego smiled.

"Agreed," Ramon smiled. "I wouldn't miss the chance. Name him after me if it's a boy."

Z Z Z

Later that day Diego returned to the pueblo to ask Doctor Hernandez to check on Victoria, because she hadn't felt well the whole morning and preferred to stay in bed.

Diego wanted to make sure that the excitement hadn't harmed the baby, and Victoria had also expressed her wish to talk with the doctor about her pregnancy. Victoria felt more comfortable talking with Doctor Hernandez, who had treated her all her life, than with Doctor Rodriguez, who had treated Diego during his illness.

"How is Victoria?" Alejandro asked Diego after Dr Hernandez had left. "Is there any problem with her pregnancy?"

"No, she is fine again. All the excitement put a strain on her, and the doctor recommended she rest and not travel the next days."

"How long will you stay? Will you stay for my birthday?" Alejandro asked, expectantly. "When will you leave again?" Alejandro asked, anxiously. In his voice Diego could hear his unhappiness about the situation and his fear of being left alone again.

"That is something I wanted to talk about with you, Father. Do you mind if we come back to Los Angeles?" Diego questioned him.

"You want to come back? And live here at the hacienda?" Alejandro was overjoyed. Happily, he embraced Diego and patted him on the shoulder. "Oh, Diego, I can't tell you how happy I am. This is the best birthday present you can give me! You don't have to ask to come back! What changed your mind?"

"Now that there is no more alcalde trying to catch Zorro, there is no reason to stay away. Victoria can return to the pueblo without fear of being the target of another scheme of the alcalde, which was always my greatest concern. I needed the time to heal, but I'm much better now. We both miss living in Los Angeles where our home is. And, I miss you too, Father."

"There is no greater joy you can give me, Diego. I will have you back, and I will see my grandchildren grow up!" Diego had never seen his father so happy as Alejandro embraced him. "What will you do with the place you're living now? And when will you move back?"

"I will keep my other hacienda and give it to Felipe when he is old enough. The boy has shown an interest in horse breeding and has gained some experience during the years he cared for Toronado. For the moment I have a manager, but I will have to check on it regularly as I did in the previous years until I can hand it over to Felipe. I'll show you around the next time I go there, which will probably be tomorrow." Diego made a face.

"Victoria has given me a long list of items I need to bring her from our hacienda and that she needs more or less immediately. I never thought a woman would need so many things!"

"I see you have already started to learn what it means to be a married man!" Alejandro grinned at his son. "I suggest you don't let your wife wait too long! And I want to know if Felipe has recovered from his cold."

Z Z Z

The next day Alejandro accompanied Diego to his hacienda, relieved that Diego no longer kept secrets from him. He was in too good a mood to be angry at his son when he found out that Diego was the Señor Lopez who had snatched away the brood mares Alejandro had wanted to purchase too.

"I had no idea that it was you who bought the mares, Diego. My own son going in competition with me!"

"You must admit, Father, that Toronado is the better stud horse," Diego grinned. "I will take him home to Los Angeles, and you can have him for breeding."

"That is a promise, Diego. I expect you to move back home soon." Alejandro grinned, before turning serious again. "You told me that you introduced Felipe as your brother here, and I think that is a good idea. I know you want Felipe to become a part of the family, and if you don't mind, I will adopt him. Then, he will become your brother in reality."

"You want to do that?" Diego was surprised. "I had thought of adopting him myself, but the lawyer objected that I can't adopt a boy who is only ten years younger than me."

"Yes, Diego. In the recent months Felipe and I have grown much closer, and I can imagine him as my son. Since I learned about your secret and that Felipe can hear, we talked a lot. He helped me to understand what was going on and told me about your secret life as Zorro while I tried to help him with his speaking. I think that is the best solution if Felipe agrees. The de la Vega hacienda should go to your children. With this hacienda and the breeding stock from Toronado, Felipe will have a good start for his own horse breeding if that is what he wants." Alejandro smiled. "He can still become a lawyer or whatever he prefers to do with his life."

"I think Felipe will agree, Father, but I'll let him decide. Felipe expressed his wish to go to the university in Spain when he turns eighteen next year. I promised him that he could go and after his return he can decide what he wants to do with his life."

Felipe still suffered from his cold which had gotten worse and all that he wanted was to be left alone and sleep. Alejandro and Diego told him about the events in the pueblo, making him feel relieved that everything had gone well.

Felipe didn't want Diego or Alejandro stay for him when he had all the care he needed from Maria and Rodrigo. He promised them to stay in bed until he felt better and that he'd return to Los Angeles for the birthday when he felt well enough.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

The next day Mendoza came to the de la Vega hacienda, after he had missed them in the pueblo the day before.

"Mendoza, what brings you here today?" Diego greeted him. "Are you here on business?"

"In a way I am, Don Diego," Mendoza replied.

"What is it? I hope it's no more searching the hacienda or trying to arrest Ramon?" Diego asked.

"I'm sorry, Don Diego, for the disturbances I caused you and your family in the past, but I acted on orders of the alcalde. I mean the former alcalde," Mendoza corrected himself. "Today I need your help."

"Sit down, Sergeant, and tell me what I can do for you," Diego led him into the library.

"It's about the taxes, Don Diego. The people are suffering under all the taxes, and I need to rescind them. But a pueblo can't go without any taxes either. I need your help to tell me which ones to keep and which ones to rescind." Mendoza pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to Diego.

When Diego unfolded it, he looked at the sergeant surprised, before he returned it to him. "I don't think this is your list. This is a pardon for Zorro!"

"Oh, yes. I mixed up the papers." Mendoza started to rummage through his pockets until he found a similar looking sheet that he handed Diego after reviewing its content. "This is the right one, but you can keep the other one too. I think you know better than me how to find Zorro and give him the pardon." Mendoza grinned at Diego.

"A pardon?" Victoria asked, surprised, entering the room. "Did I hear pardon?"

"Señorita Victoria!" Mendoza spluttered, astonished to see her, rising together with Diego from his seat. "What are you doing here? When did you arrive?"

"Sergeant Mendoza, it's good to see you again," Victoria greeted him, happily. "It's been some months now. I arrived two days ago when I heard that de Soto wanted to execute my brother."

"But Don Alejandro told us you weren't here! We searched the whole hacienda without finding you!"

"I didn't want my wife to be dragged to the pueblo and put into prison," Diego explained, putting his arm around Victoria possessively.

"Your wife?" Stunned, Mendoza stared at them, noticing Victoria's pregnancy. "Of course, you married Diego," he grinned. "Why else would you leave the pueblo?" he said, trying to hide his confusion. "My congratulations to you!"

"Thank you, Mendoza. But, you mentioned a pardon earlier?" Victoria asked.

"The pardon, yes, well, here is it!" Mendoza gave it to her. "As temporary alcalde I decided to grant a pardon to Zorro, and I hope that the new government will agree to it. I want everything to be cleaned up before the Mexicans arrive, especially now when there is no more Zorro." His gaze wandered to Diego's injured arm, and he swallowed.

"I understand, Mendoza. You're a good man. Thank you," Diego said quietly. Before the mood became too sentimental, he changed the topic. "Victoria, Mendoza came here to talk about the taxes he needs to rescind. Can you tell me which ones you used to pay, before alcalde started his crusade to catch Zorro with excessive taxing?"

Together the three went over the list of taxes arguing about the necessity of them. While Victoria liked to have all taxes rescinded, Mendoza dreamed of raising the pay of the soldiers. Diego tried to find the right balance of taxes that guaranteed the pueblo some income while freeing the citizens from excessive taxes.

Mendoza gratefully accepted an invitation for lunch, delighted at eating something else than garrison food, but it also turned the conversation to food and, of course, the tavern. He had been doubtful about Diego's promise to have the tavern opened again, but now that Victoria was back and Diego's wife on top of it, he was hopeful that the tavern would be open soon.

Victoria dampened his hopes that he could eat in the tavern within the next few days. It would take some time to move everything back to the tavern and put it back at its proper place. Diego wanted her to be careful and not to lift anything heavy. Instead, she was supposed to give only directions where everything had to be placed in the tavern. She also had to find someone to manage the tavern in her stead.

The next days kept them all busy with traveling back and forth to Diego's hacienda to arrange their move back to Los Angeles, reequipping everything in the tavern and planning Alejandro's birthday.

Z Z Z

Alejandro hadn't looked forward to his 50th birthday when it had meant that he would be celebrating without his only son and his daughter-in-law. But now, the family was reunited and all the frustration of the past years was swept away by the knowledge that Diego was a true de la Vega any father could be proud of and that there would be grandchildren to continue the family line.

The dinner went well for Diego who managed his meal without incident, and without receiving looks of pity, which he had expected. The guests told him and Victoria, how much they had been missed in the recent months, and warmly welcomed them back to Los Angeles, congratulating them on their marriage.

Z Z Z

The tavern hadn't reopened again when the Mexican army arrived two weeks later to take control over Los Angeles. On his travel south to Mexico City, Ramon Escalante had encountered the Mexican troops and made a report on the situation in Los Angeles to the commander of the troops.

A peon informed the de la Vegas about the arrival of the new commander and his troops, and the family drove to the pueblo to welcome the new government.

"Sergeant Mendoza, just the man I was looking for," Diego greeted Mendoza, meeting him on the plaza. "Tell us about the Mexican army that arrived today. Did they take over command from you? And what are the plans of the Mexicans?"

"Why are you in civil clothing, Sergeant?" Victoria asked him, before he had the chance to answer.

"The new commander congratulated me on arresting the alcalde before he could execute Captain Escalante. But what I did was an insurrection against my commanding officer. And that isn't tolerated in any army."

"So, what happened?" Diego inquired.

"The commander gave me a choice. Either, he would promote me to Lieutenant and I resigned immediately from the army, or face trial for insurrection."

"I see that you had no other choice than to resign. What will you do now, Mendoza?"

"When you told me that Victoria would open the tavern again, you said that she was looking for stuff. I want to ask if that is still true, and if I could work there?"

"Sergeant Mendoza," Victoria addressed him as she was used to, "You were the only one who helped me when I was in prison, and I will never forget that. I don't know how I would have managed these days without your help."

"Yes, you were always a friend, Mendoza," Diego agreed, "and you can count on us."

"Does that mean I can work for you?" Mendoza asked, hopefully.

"If you want, you can take over the tavern from me, Mendoza. I will never work there again," Victoria explained, unconsciously striking across her belly, "and I think you will manage it well."

"You want me to manage your tavern?" Mendoza beamed. "I'd never thought I'd have my own tavern."

"There is only one thing I would ask you," Victoria added.

"What is it?" Mendoza asked suspiciously, waiting for the catch.

"I promised my helper Pilar that I'd recommend her to the next owner. Would you give her a try and let her work for you?"

"Pilar? She is a nice woman, and she can cook," Mendoza replied. "I will need some help anyway, and if she is willing to work for me, I will gladly give her back her job."

Z Z Z

Two weeks later everything had settled down, much to the de la Vega's relief. The new commander had agreed in general with the changes Mendoza had initiated.

Though it went beyond the authority of a temporary alcalde to grant a pardon for the famous outlaw Zorro, it made no sense to revoke it. Everyone assured him that Zorro had left the area for good, and a high reward would only attract bandits and other unsavory folks who would cause trouble. The pueblo was too poor to pay such a high reward for a single outlaw, and the money was better used in the pueblo.

De Soto stayed in prison while the new commander was getting acquainted with the situation in Los Angeles and sorting through the papers. The degree to which the former alcalde had misused his authority and brought down the pueblo astonished even the commander who didn't want to listen to de Soto's excuses. De Soto tried in vain to persuade the commander to set him free and imprison Diego de la Vega as Zorro. Instead, he sent De Soto to Mexico City for his trial.

The new commander decided that the pueblo was too small and insignificant to be the base of a large garrison and a high ranking commander. After asking for suggestions, he instated Alejandro de la Vega as alcalde of Los Angeles, who proudly accepted the post. The new commander left some of his soldiers as reinforcement of the garrison before he left for Monterey to govern from there.

Z Z Z

Three weeks after the tavern had opened again with Mendoza as manager and Pilar as his helper, Mendoza and Pilar announced their engagement.

Victoria expressed her surprise at the news and asked Pilar about it.

"My congratulations to your engagement. I'm happy for you, Pilar. I never knew you had feelings for Mendoza."

"Thank you, Victoria." Pilar smiled, but she didn't appear very enthusiastic.

"Don't you love Mendoza? You don't sound very happy," Victoria inquired curiously.

"Victoria, not everyone can be so lucky as you and find a love match with a young and handsome man like Don Diego."

"Why do you want to marry him?"

"Jaime is a good man with a good heart. I can do worse than him. He told me that he always liked me and is very fond of my cooking. My mother always said that love grows after the wedding. I believe she was right and that I will learn to love my husband as he loves me. We both depend on each other in the tavern."

When Victoria looked at her, concerned, Pilar put her hand on her arm to reassure her. "Don't worry, I will be alright. You don't know how it was for me while the tavern was closed..." Remembering the recent months, she stopped talking, with a pained look on her face. "My father and I were close to starving and couldn't have continued much longer on the meager tips of the coach passengers. The only other offers were not very honorable proposals from some male passengers who complimented me on my beauty."

Pilar omitted the fact that she had decided she would accept the dishonorable proposal of a regular traveler the next time he would pass through Los Angeles. Fortunately, the tavern had opened before that, and it had saved her from becoming a fallen woman.

Victoria stared at her, shocked. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that."

"How could you?" Pilar said accusingly. "You left to marry your Diego, and you no longer cared about the pueblo."

"It's not true, Pilar. I always cared about the people and the pueblo. But there was nothing I could do! You have no right to blame me when it was the alcalde who brought it all on you! I tried to help wherever I could. And I insisted that Mendoza give you back your job when I offered him the tavern!"

"I'm sorry, Victoria. I have no right to blame you. You are right, it wasn't your fault. It doesn't matter anymore. You came back to reopen the tavern, and I will be happy with Mendoza as my husband. We will both be happy to see you and your husband at our wedding."

"Thank you, Pilar. We will come. I wish you happiness in your marriage." The women embraced each other briefy.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

_Five months later.._

For hours, or so it seemed, Diego had been sitting impatiently in the hallway in front of the bedroom listening to Victoria's cries. The midwife hadn't let him go inside to Victoria, telling him that he had to wait until the baby was born. Diego was about to burst inside after he heard Victoria cry out loud, when there was a sudden silence. The midwife came out of the room, carrying a small bundle in her arms.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, concerned, rising from his seat. "Is the baby dead? I didn't hear it crying!"

The midwife smiled at him. "You have a healthy daughter, Señor. I only need to clean her up and then you can have her."

"And my wife? How is Victoria?"

"She is fine, too, Señor. The maid is just taking care of her. Give your wife a few minutes to get ready."

Diego walked up and down the hall until a few minutes later the midwife returned with the baby and lay her into the crook of his arm. "You can take her to your wife now," the midwife smiled.

"She doesn't cry," Diego said, staring amazed at his newborn daughter. "I thought all babies would cry at birth."

"Nearly all babies cry, because they get a small slap to start breathing. Only a few babies start breathing at once and don't need it. Your daughter is one of them," the midwife explained.

The maid exited the bedroom with a bundle of dirty laundry. "Don Diego, you can see your wife now," she informed him.

Victoria looked at him expectantly as he entered the room with the baby in his arm. "Is the baby all right?" she asked, anxiously.

"We have a daughter!" Diego beamed at her, walking over to the bed where Victoria was lying and sat down on the bedside.

"Look at her!" He bent down with the baby in his arm to show her to Victoria. "She didn't cry. She is only looking curiously." Fascinated, he stared at the baby.

"Give her to me," Victoria reached out to take the baby from his arm.

"Look at your mother, Beatriz," Diego smiled, putting an arm around Victoria and the baby, kissing Victoria.

"Beatriz?" Victoria asked, surprised.

"Beatriz Ramona, after your mother and after your brother who promised to be her godfather," Diego explained.

"Beatriz! I like that!" Victoria smiled happily at her daughter as she held her tightly in her arms.

"She is perfect," Diego grinned, touching Beatriz's hand, which closed around his finger as she stared curiously at him with wide blue eyes.

"I can see that she has already wrapped you around her finger," Victoria grinned.

"This is one of the happiest moments of my life!" Diego beamed, bending down to kiss Victoria. "Thank you for giving me our daughter."

"I am very happy, too!" Victoria smiled. "You had a part of it too, Diego. Thank you."

"Are you all right, Victoria? I heard you crying, but the midwife wouldn't let me in."

"It wasn't easy and hurt a lot," Victoria admitted, "but our daughter was worth it." She smiled at the baby in her arms, who was looking with great eyes at them.

At that moment the baby opened her tiny mouth to start wailing, prompting the midwife to return. "The baby needs to be fed now, Señor," she addressed Diego. "As it is the first time for mother and child, I will need to help your wife with it, and they need to sleep."

"I'll come back later with Felipe and Father," Diego smiled at Victoria, tenderly caressing the baby's cheek.

_**A/N: **The story is almost finished now, there is only the epilogue coming where I wrap up all the loose ends, i.e de Soto, the number of children etc. It has gotten very long, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of the future after the birth of their first child._


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 - Epilogue**

* * *

_**A/N:** To avoid any confusion about the timetable I'd like to make clear that the dates I stated are based on the time Diego and Victoria returned to Los Angeles what can be considered the end of the story. Three years later means three years after their return and twenty years means twenty years after their return when Beatriz would be about twenty years old. So, the dates should not be added. I found it easier that way instead of another five years later, another five years later..._

_The next scenes are supposed to be a glimpse into the future of the family with their children at different stages and to finish the arc with de Soto. Initially, I wanted to end the story with de Soto, but then I changed the girl from chapter 24 into a boy. This way the epilogue became much longer than I initially intended, but in my mind the story wasn't really finished with the birth of their first child._

* * *

_Three years later …._

"Are the children alright, Victoria? What did Doctor Hernandez say?" Diego inquired after the doctor left the hacienda.

"Yes, it was a normal course of the chickenpox. They will be running around again in no time," Victoria explained, tired.

"Then we can leave them for a few days!" Diego declared.

"Leave them?" Victoria stared at him, incredulously. "They have just recovered. They need me!"

"Victoria, for the last week you have hardly slept, and you have been constantly nursing them. You're exhausted, and you won't get any rest waking every night to the wailing of a child. José and Beatriz will be fine without us. Father has agreed to look after them for the next three days, and the nanny is there too. They will be fine!"

"Do you think so?" Victoria asked, reluctantly. "Where do you want to go?"

"We will spend two nights at our old hacienda. It's only a few hours drive, and we can return any time." Diego suggested. "It may be the last chance to stay there before Felipe returns from Spain and it will be his."

"I'd love to stay there again...," Victoria warmed up to the idea, thinking of the months they had lived there after their marriage.

"I have already ordered your maid to pack your bag for a few days, and we only need to go!" Diego grinned.

"You have planned this thoroughly, it seems. You're still a schemer, Diego," Victoria smiled.

"You will come?" Diego smiled. "A few days without children, just the two of us?"

"I can't say no to that, Diego." Tenderly, she kissed him on the cheek.

Z Z Z

In the night at their old hacienda Victoria woke up out of habit, listening for the wailing of a child. Then she realized that she wouldn't hear anything. Her children were sleeping at the de la Vega hacienda with their doting grandfather and a nanny to take care of them. It was wonderful not having to get up in the night to calm a crying child, though she missed them anyway. She cuddled closer to her sleeping husband, grateful to him for making her take a break and give her time recover from the nursing of the children. Diego had taken his share as well, when the children were sick and crying a lot for their parents, and needed the time away as much as she did.

In his sleep Diego put his arm protectively around her as he had done since the first night they had spent together. For the first time in years, Victoria thought again of the nightmares that had troubled her while they had lived here after their wedding. For months, they had haunted her and only Diego's presence had calmed her. That had changed after the birth of Beatrix. Then there was a child to take care of in the night, because it was hungry or teething or had bad dreams, and her own nightmares faded into the background and were no longer relevant.

During their stay at the hacienda without their children Diego and Victoria enjoyed the time they had together, relaxing and making love and forgetting the day-to-day problems for a short while.

Upon their return two days later, Alejandro welcomed them in front of the hacienda with the two children. One-year-old José couldn't yet walk alone and held onto the hand of his grandfather while Beatriz started to run to them as soon as they had climbed out of the carriage.

"Mamá, Papá, I missed you," she embraced her mother's legs, before she turned to her father.

"Will you carry me into the hacienda, Papá?" she begged him.

"Aren't you already too old for being carried around, Beatriz?" Diego teased her a bit, crouching down.

"Just into the house, please," she begged, putting her small arms around his neck, smiling happily, when Diego took her on his arm and lifted her up.

Victoria had already taken José on her arm, who clung to his mother, waving at his father with his small fist.

"I kept the children occupied by reading to them and bouncing them on my knees," Alejandro explained. "They asked for you from time to time, but were easily distracted."

"Thank you, Father," Diego said. "It was good to be away for a few days, but we missed the children, too."

Z Z Z

_Five years later..._

Diego's daughter Beatriz was five years old when she made her first attempts on playing the piano, pressing the keys and listening to the sound.

"Papá," she went over over to the couch where her father was reading and tugged at his sleeve, pointing at the open instrument, "please, teach me to play the piano."

"Beatriz, you know that I can no longer play with my right arm," Diego explained, regretfully.

"But, you can use your left hand! You can show me how to play!" Beatriz insisted. "You promised José and Francisco to teach them swordplay when they are old enough, and I want to learn to play the piano! Grandfather has problems bending his fingers because of his age, and Mamá never learned to play! Please!"

Diego sighed. Unable to refuse his daughter her wish, he sat down beside her on the piano stool and showed her how to put her fingers on the keys. Diego rummaged through his notes and pulled out some sheets with simple notes. As she tried the first simple melody with her right hand, Diego accompanied her, playing accords with his left hand on the lower keys.

"That sounds wonderful!" Beatriz exclaimed. "I can play the right hand, and you play the left hand, and together we can play."

"You have to learn to play with both hands, Beatriz," Diego grinned.

"I know," she said, "but I still want you to play with me!"

After an hour she got tired, and Diego stacked the note sheets on a pile, looking through them for simple melodies that were suited for teaching. Among them, he found a few pieces that could be played with the left hand only. Tempted after the years he hadn't touched the piano, he started playing. Soon, Diego forgot everything around him, immersed into the music, playing for himself.

He didn't notice Victoria at the open door, with their one-year-old son sleeping on her arm, who had come looking when she heard the unfamiliar sound of piano music.

"Papá is playing," Beatriz went over to her mother and whispered. "Isn't it wonderful? And he's going to teach me, too!"

Victoria knelt down and hugged her daughter, so much like her father with her striking blue eyes and her black hair, grateful to her for making Diego play the piano again. "Yes, it's wonderful, Beatriz. I never thought he'd start playing again."

Silently, the two listened to Diego's play, smiling to each other. When Beatriz's three year old brother José came yelling for them, they quietly closed the door behind them, so Diego wouldn't be disturbed.

Z Z Z

Diego had thought that Beatriz would soon tire of learning to play the piano, but she was quite persistent in asking for more lessons. There was nothing she liked better than to play music and have her father teach her, or even better, play with her.

Diego enjoyed playing the piano with her, and over the years they became quite practiced in it - Beatriz playing the right hand and Diego the left. With a lot of practicing and persistence, encouraged by his family, Diego even managed to play some parts with his right hands.

Z Z Z

_Ten years later..._

"There is a visitor at the door, Papá, asking for you," Beatriz informed him, annoyed about the interruption of her piano lesson.

"Who is it, Beatriz?" Diego asked.

"I don't know him. It's an old man in shabby clothing that I have never seen before."

At the door Diego addressed the man curiously. "Buenos días, Señor, what can I do for you?"

"Don Diego, it's been a long time," the man coughed heavily. "You haven't changed much in the last ten years and almost look the same."

"Should I know you, Señor?" Diego stared at the stranger, but after a moment he recognized him. "De Soto! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you at once."

His old foe had changed considerably in the years he hadn't seen him, appearing much older than his true age. His body was thin and gaunt, and his skin color had an unhealthy shade. The hair, that had been white at an early age, only added to the appearance of an old man.

As alcalde he had always taken good care of his clothing, dressing in fine suits and wearing silk ties. Now, he wore only rags.

"What happened to you? Do you want to come in and have a refreshment?" Diego offered.

"No, I'm on my way to the harbor in San Pedro, but I wanted to see first, how you fared the last years. Was that your daughter who opened the door? She looks a lot like you!"

"Yes, that was Beatriz, my eldest." Diego heard her call from the library. "She's impatient with continuing her piano lessons."

"Piano? You? I thought your arm was stiff?" De Soto asked, surprised, pointing at Diego's arm.

"It partly is, though I have regained some control over it. Not enough for playing demanding pieces of music with it, but I have my daughter now," Diego smiled at the thought of Beatriz.

"Where have you been in recent years? I never heard anything from you after they transported you to Mexico City for your trial."

"The new government wanted to make an example and create a precedent. They sentenced me to ten years work in the silver mines. It was hard work and my lung has suffered. I won't have much time left." He coughed again heavily. "I became free again only recently."

"And, you came back to Los Angeles?"

"Yes, I wanted to see it again before I leave for Spain. Friends, who owed me a favor, paid the ship passage for me. I hardly recognized the pueblo with all the new buildings and shops. And, I wanted to see the man who brought that all on me. Who robbed me of my life and made me become like this." De Soto pointed at himself.

"I'm sorry, de Soto, for what you had to endure, but it was your own ambition and your greed for glory that brought you to this," Diego corrected him.

"If you had been a fair and just alcalde, there would have been no need for Zorro. But, you wanted to gain glory by catching Zorro, using all means, even imprisoning innocent people. All this would have been unnecessary," Diego pointed at de Soto in his rags and at his own arm.

"You could have had a good life here in Los Angeles, being the acclaimed alcalde of a growing community, but you threw it all away in your obsession to catch Zorro and return to Madrid. Don't blame me for your choices! You caused your own downfall." Diego said pitifully.

"I don't need your pity!" de Soto rebuked him, angrily. "I don't think we have anything more to say to each other, Don Diego. You have everything you want while I end as the loser. I should have made the connection between you and Zorro much earlier. That's what I regret the most. That I let you fool me until it was too late. If only I'd known sooner, it would have been different, because you would be dead now instead of living happily with your family in this expensive house wearing an elegant silk suit, and I would have lived in Madrid instead of suffering in the mines."

"A servant can take you to the harbor," Diego offered. "Are you sure you don't want any refreshment?"

"I don't want any charity from you, Don Diego," de Soto rejected him. "A farmer waits for me down the road to take me to the harbor on his cart."

De Soto turned around and slowly walked away from the hacienda, stopping often because he had to cough heavily.

"Who is that man?" Victoria asked, as she came from the inside of the hacienda, catching Diego staring at de Soto's back as he walked away.

"It is de Soto." Diego looked at him thoughtfully.

"De Soto? Where has he been the last years? What did he want?"

"He was sentenced to work in the mines, and now he blames me for his misery. He has learned nothing in the last years. The man is irredeemable." Diego shook his head.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I wish he would have found his peace," Victoria said compassionately.

"In one thing he was right, it all could have been different if he had caught me." Diego pondered.

"It's in the past, Diego. We were lucky that everything went so well. If the injury hadn't stopped you from riding as Zorro, you could have been killed on any of your next rides, but you stopped riding and survived, and I got you."

"No, I got you, Beatriz and our four boys, José, Francisco, Sebastian and Juan," he smiled. "That was the best that happened to me. Not long ago I dreamed that I had no injury and that I was back riding as Zorro. When I woke up, I felt sad that it had only been a dream, but then I felt you in my arms. I thought of our children, sleeping down the hall, Felipe and his family, and of my father, who will be celebrating his 61st birthday soon. Then I realized that I couldn't be happier. I would never exchange a lonely life as Zorro for what I have now with you and our family. You're my dream come true." He drew his wife into his arms for a tender kiss. "Uh, I felt that," he drew apart to stroke over her child belly. "She was kicking!"

"She? Why do you think it's a girl?"

"Don't you think, that after four boys, it's time for another girl? A little Elena who you can teach cooking and everything else?"

"So, you and Father can spoil her as you do with Beatriz?"

"I don't spoil her," he protested. "I was raised to treat women with respect and take good care of them." He took his wife's hand and kissed it, looking deeply into her eyes.

"You'll never change, Diego," Victoria laughed. "That's why I love you."

"And I love you, Victoria." This time he could kiss his wife without interruptions.

Z Z Z

Elena Felicidad de la Vega was born three months later. She inherited not only the brown hair and brown eyes from her mother but also her fiery temper and love for cooking. When she didn't spend her time in the kitchen, she liked to watch her brothers while they were learning swordplay from their father or fighting over the right to be Zorro in their role plays.

Beatriz cajoled her brother José to secretly give her fencing lessons until their father found out about it. Though Victoria didn't agree with a woman wielding a sword, Diego decided to teach Beatriz properly and allowed her to participate in the fencing lessons he and Felipe gave her brothers.

Z Z Z

_Sixteen years later..._

Diego and his father were sitting in the study in discussion of some matters of the hacienda when six-year-old Elena stormed in.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Diego asked, surprised at the interruption.

"I only wanted to ask you not to be angry with Sebastian and Juan. It was all my fault that they had a fight with the Montero brothers."

"The Montero brothers? They are a few years older than your brothers. Why did they fight?"

"I was playing with my friend Ana Mendoza near the tavern and her little sisters were playing with some marbles her father had bought them. Then Eduardo and Alfonso Montero wanted to take them. I told them that they had no right to do that and that the marbles weren't theirs. They only laughed at me, but when I started to yell, Sebastian and Juan came to defend me and they fought with Eduardo and Alfonso."

"So, it was your fault your brothers got into a fight?" Diego inquired.

"Si, Papá, but I couldn't let the Monteros take the marbles. It wasn't right, was it? You and Mamá always say to do what is right, don't you?" Elena stared at her father expectantly.

"This one will be trouble, Diego!" Alejandro grinned at his son. "She reminds me a lot of her mother. Always stepping forward without thinking about the consequences."

"I'm no trouble, Grandfather," Elena scowled at him. "Ana's sisters are too timid to say something and someone had to protest!"

"Can I tell Sebastian and Juan that you aren't angry at them, Papá?"

"No, I'm not angry at them for defending you, Elena," Diego sighed.

"Gracias, Papá," she quickly kissed him on his cheek before she rushed out again, leaving her father and grandfather to their work.

Z Z Z

_Twenty years later..._

Beatriz didn't listen to her father calling her as she watched the ship leave the port of San Pedro. Her brother José had left for Spain to go to the university and she wouldn't see him for four years. Not wanting her father see her crying, she excused herself, pretending to go back to the carriage, but instead she wandered off aimlessly. After a few minutes of walking she found herself in an unfamiliar area of the port, and she had no idea how to get back to the carriage.

When she turned around, she saw two shabby looking men closing up on her, who must have followed her.

"A fine Señorita in this part of town?" One of the men leered. "Maybe you'd like to join us for a walk?" The man grabbed her by the arm.

"Take your hands off me!" Beatriz demanded. "I won't accompany you anywhere, and now let me pass by!" Beatriz tried in vain to shake off the hand, angry that she had gotten herself into this situation, and she hadn't even her rapier with her.

"And if we insist on your company?" the man sneered. "What will you do then?"

"I'll shoot you!" Beatriz pulled a small pistol out of the folds of her skirt and pointed it at the thug, who released her arm at once.

"Let the Senorita go!" A voice came from behind her. Turning around she saw a young officer wearing the uniform of the Mexican Army. Upon his sight, the two attackers let her go and vanished into one of the side alleys.

"Thank you, Señor, for coming to my rescue though there was no need." She put her pistol back into her pocket. "Would you be so kind to tell me the way back to the port?"

"De nada, Señorita! Allow me to escort you there."

With a slight bow Beatriz accepted his offer, and a few minutes later they arrived at the carriage, but her father wasn't in sight.

"It would be better if I stayed with you until your father comes back to make sure you're safe," the officer stated, concerned to leave a young woman on her own without protection.

"Don't worry, Señor, I can take care of myself," Beatriz declined, reaching into the carriage to a retrieve a light rapier. The way she held it convinced him that she knew how to handle it.

"Beatriz, where have you been? I was concerned and started searching for you." Diego approached the carriage, worried about his daughter.

"I'm sorry, Father. I got lost, but this Señor guided me back," she explained.

"Captain Manuel Jimenez, Mexican Army," the officer introduced himself.

"Diego de la Vega, and this is my daughter Beatriz. Thank you for escorting her back." Diego introduced himself.

"De nada, Señor. It was a pleasure. But you must excuse me now. I need to catch the coach to Los Angeles." With a slight bow the captain wanted to leave.

"There's no need to hurry. The coach has just left, Captain. You have missed it." Diego told the captain, who made an unhappy face.

"Then I'll have to find another means to get to Los Angeles."

"We are going to Los Angeles, and there's enough space in our carriage for another person," Diego offered. "We brought my son to his ship for Spain, and you can take his seat."

"Thank you, Señor de la Vega. I am grateful for this offer. It wouldn't be good for me to start my new post arriving late."

After the officer's luggage was stored on the carriage, the captain joined them inside.

"You are coming from Mexico and are now stationed in California?" Beatriz inquired.

"I trained at the military academy in Mexico and was stationed at two posts in Mexico, but now I'm returning to California as captain of the garrison in Los Angeles."

"You are from California? But not from Los Angeles?"

"I grew up in San Gabriel, which is not too far from Los Angeles."

"You are very young for being a captain." Beatriz stated.

"I'm twenty-five. I always wanted to be the best fighter in Mexico, and I was the best at school, allowing me to graduate early. I studied under Don Miguel, who was one of the best students of Don Felipe de la Vega, the famous fencing master from California, who taught in Mexico City for some years. Have you heard of Don Felipe?"

Beatriz rolled her eyes. "Not another one!"

"Did I say something wrong?" the captain asked.

"No, it's nothing. I have four brothers, who all want to be the best swordsman in California. My eldest brother left on the ship for Spain today for his education. He will compete with you for the title when he returns," she grinned, "and I guess he has a good chance. He is the best of our family and even managed to beat my uncle once."

"Manuel Jimenez from San Gabriel?" Diego interrupted the conversation. "Is your father a tradesman?"

"Yes, he is. Do you know him, Señor de la Vega?"

"No, not really, but I think I traveled with him some years ago," Diego smiled. "It must be nearly twenty years now. Did you want to be stationed in Los Angeles to be closer to home?"

"No, I asked for a post in Los Angeles. You have probably heard of Zorro, the legendary swordsman from the Los Angeles area. I wanted to be close to the place where the legend began and maybe learn something about the man."

"Don't tell me you want to be like Zorro," Beatriz asked, annoyed.

"I always admired the man, though I never met him. There was another man who had an even greater impact on me. When I was little boy, I traveled with my parents, and when our coach was attacked one of the passengers saved us, though he could fight only with one arm. I decided I wanted to be like him and not like Zorro."

"Only one arm, Captain?" Beatriz glared at her father who hid his grin behind a hand. "You must tell me more," she prompted the captain, though she already knew the story from her mother's telling. It was her brothers' favorite bedtime story.

The young captain started to tell of the event that had changed his life, though he had the impression that he was doing something wrong. Instead of being impressed by the hero he spoke of, the young woman was more bored than fascinated by the best swordsman in California, as if it was a tale she had heard before. But he had the feeling that this beautiful, self-confident woman with the bluest eyes he had ever seen was worth the effort to find out why she wasn't impressed by hero tales.

The End


End file.
